


Watanabe

by Einfach_Antonia



Category: One Piece
Genre: F/M, Family, One Piece - Freeform, Tashigi - Freeform, ZoTash, Zoro - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:33:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Einfach_Antonia/pseuds/Einfach_Antonia
Summary: Tashigi's eyes widened for the second time. Did not register how she was grabbed and pulled along for the second time.How could she ever forget who he was?After all, he was her father.
Relationships: Zoro/Tashigi
Comments: 65
Kudos: 53





	1. Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. :)   
> I really hope your are not already fed up with me and my constant ZoTash Postings...   
> Anyway: Welcome to the first Chapter of this Fanfiction.  
> Since I wrote this last year it is already finished and from now on there will be a new Chapter each Wednesday.   
> I hope you will enjoy it and thank you for reading :)

**Chapter One: Homecoming**

Tashigi was extremely happy with herself at the end of the day. It was the first day that she was able to put a full load on her shoulder during her daily training; and it felt damn good!

Taking a deep breath, she opened her cabin door but before she had fully entered the cabin she stopped dead. There was a smell in the air that didn't belong on this Navy ship. A smell she hadn't had in her nose for three years.  
It smelled of vanilla tobacco; and Tashigi knew only one man who smoked this tobacco every day.  
 _What does he want here?_

Before she could think of a plan to escape, something grabbed her by the wrist, pulled her into the cabin, and closed the door behind her. It was already late in the evening, the sun was already setting, and the only source of light in Tashigi's room was the occasional glow of her visitor's cigarette. Tashigi swallowed dryly; she never expected him to come and see her on her ship. He had never done that before.

"Tashigi... you look good. Seems to finally make something out of you", came his smoky voice. He was right behind her now. She had always hated that he could move absolutely silently.  
"What do you want here?", she asked, clenching her hands into fists. The oil lamp flared on her desk and Tashigi could finally see her visitor.

He had hardly changed. The same dark blue hair, the same brown eyes, the rolled cigarette behind his left ear and he still liked to wear shirts with a deep V-neck. He eyed her intently while lighting another cigarette.  
"What do you want here, Taichi?", she repeated.  
"He wants to see you", he finally answered. Tashigi's eyes widened. "Why?", she breathed.  
"He is not accountable to me."  
"I can not. I have to work."

Taichi raised his eyebrows.  
"He won't care."  
"This is my job, I can't just leave everything behind just because he wants me to."  
Her visitor laughed.  
"You probably forgot who he is, right? You can and you will. He has already informed your superiors."  
Tashigi's eyes widened for the second time. Did not register how she was grabbed and pulled along for the second time.  
How could she ever forget who he was?  
After all, he was her father.

* * *

Just like every evening after his self-imposed training regime, Zoro leaned back against the railing, hands clasped behind his head and dozing.  
It had been a pretty quiet day aboard Thousand Sunny; unlike many other days. Of course there had been the usual arguments between him and Sanji today, but that was nothing new. Now Zoro enjoyed the calm before the storm or rather before dinner.  
It would take about an hour before Sanji called for food and before one had to deal with Luffy. But until then he would doze a little.

Zoro felt more than hearing something bump into the Sunny, but thought nothing of it. It has happened that driftwood hits them. Only when he heard voices did he open his eye and frown.  
"You tell him!"  
"No, you tell him!"  
"No..." Curious and a little bit annoyed, Zoro got up and looked over the railing.  
"Johnny? Yosaku? What are you doing here?", he let out in surprise. At the same time, his two friends looked up and grinned uncertainly at him.

Bringing Johnny and Yosaku on board had caused a lot of excitement and the entire gang of Straw Hats had quickly gathered on deck to greet the new arrivals.  
However, they seemed to get smaller and smaller under Zoro's questioning gaze. Zoro was certainly pleased to see them again, but he was just as surprised.

"So... what are you doing here?", he repeated his question.  
"We were looking for you", replied Johnny.  
Zoro raised his eyebrows.  
"Oh... really?", he said.  
"It... It... is so...", Yosaku began, "Your parents... sent us..."  
Zoro's jaw fell straight to the ground and there was nothing else he could do but stare at his friends. His parents? He hadn't seen them for... years.  
"Zoro has parents?", he heard the voice of his Captain behind him. "Everyone has parents, Luffy", Chopper replied.

Zoro felt the eyes of the entire Crew resting on him, he still hadn't been able to fully process that his parents were apparently looking for him. But why? And where had they met Johnny and Yosaku?  
It was not that he and his parents had split up in an argument; they just hadn't really approved of his lifestyle for a long time.

"Uh... and why?", Zoro managed to say after clearing his throat several times. Johnny shrugged.  
"They didn't explain it to us that precisely. They just asked us to find you and bring you to them."  
"Tell them you didn't find me", Zoro replied after a few seconds.  
"They won't like to hear that..." said Johnny.  
Zoro just shrugged.

"They haven't liked most of my decisions. And if they want something from me, they can come themself."  
"Hey Zoro, you can't do that. Your parents will surely have their reasons why they want to see you", said Usopp, who got a scowl from Zoro.  
"He's not entirely wrong. It seemed pretty important to them", Yosaku remarked.  
Zoro grunted.

"They can't expect me to leave everything behind because they ask me to. I also have obligations and I can't just leave the ship."  
"What if we all just come along?", Luffy suggested suddenly.  
"Get to know the parents of the spinach skull? That could be funny", Sanji joined the conversation and a vein started pounding on Zoro's forehead. And she was throbbing the more his Crew members agreed with Luffy's absurd idea.  
Roronoa Zoro wanted to shout loudly when he heard his Captain call: "Super! Nami, set sail. We visit Zoro's parents!"

* * *

Home.  
A place where you felt comfortable. A place you would love to return to.  
Tashigi felt these things when she thought of her Navy ship; but not when she entered the house where she was born. The trip here had taken a week.

A week in which Taichi reported on the latest events and achievements; she had only listened to him half-heartedly. Tashigi had broken with her father when she was thirteen, her and his future plans had simply been incompatible.

She had gone to the Navy while he had punished her with silence, at first. It had always been Taichi who sent messages between her and her mother.  
It was ten years since she last saw her parents, and that last time was burned into her mind forever.

Her father had been sitting in his chair, staring at her with angry brown eyes and shouting that she would bring disgrace to the family; while her mother had stood between them and she sobbed and begged both of them to speak to each other in peace. But all the tears had been of no use, Tashigi had left and had not spoken to her father to this day.  
He had always tried to get her to return through Taichi over the years, but so far she had successfully defended herself. But this time she had failed and would face her father in a few minutes.

Why he wanted to see her now and did not order her to return as usual, just to ignore her again for months after she had canceled, had not yet been possible to find out.  
Taichi had claimed not to know; Tashigi suspected that he was lying. But her father had never ordered Taichi to kidnap her if she refused to do so. He had never dealt with her superiors before. Tashigi would never have thought that Smoker would let her go; Taichi had taken her past her Vice Admiral when she left, and Smoker had only watched them expressionlessly.

And now she was standing here: in front of the double doors leading to the hall where her father received each of his guests and did all of his business.  
No one had bothered to repaint the doors in the past. Tashigi could still see where she and Taichi had scratched their initials as children, or where she kicked it so furiously ten years ago that the paint had flaked off and she had broken her toe. That was a few days before she left.

Taichi didn't seem to care about all these little things, he opened the doors without hesitation and entered the hall. Tashigi herself took a deep breath and then followed him.  
The first thing she saw was her father and she stopped shaken. Hiroki Watanabe had always been a mountain of man, tall and with muscles that some younger people had been jealous of. But it was not this man who was now sitting on her father's throne-like chair.

This man looked far too small and thin for the chair; the muscles and the upright posture were gone, the once pitch-black hair was completely white and the cheeks sagged. Just the eyes... yes, his brown eyes hadn't lost their fire.  
Her father, despite his otherwise poor condition, stared straight at her.

"Tashigi!"  
She looked away from her father and smiled at her mother, just a few moments later her mother hugged her tightly with tears in her eyes.  
Tashigi also felt her tears come. In contrast to her father, her mother had hardly changed. Of course you could see her age now; a few more wrinkles and the blue hair has started to turn gray.  
"Hello, mother", she said.  
Her mother pushed her away from her at arm's length and looked at her with a smile.  
"It's so good to see you again, my child."

"That's enough, Hinagiku! I have important things to discuss with her", Hiroki's surprisingly powerful voice thundered through the hall.  
Tashigi's eyes fell on him again as her mother let her go and stepped aside.  
"Father", she said coolly and took a few more steps towards him.  
"I am glad to see that you accepted my invitation this time", he replied.  
"Did I have a choice?", she asked, looking at Taichi.  
Hiroki also looked at the young man who was now at his side.  
"No."

"So, father. Why am I here?", she asked to know.  
Her father sat up a little in his chair and stared at her intently.  
"It is time for you to return home. To get married and take over the family business."  
Tashigi stared at him with her mouth open. Did he really just say that? Did she understand him correctly?  
"Excuse me?", she said, hoping to have misunderstood something.  
"I've grown older, Tashigi. But I still do speak clearly."

"But I don't want to take over the family business. Taichi should do it!" "You know very well that this is not possible. Your brother is younger than you and tradition demands..."  
"I don't give anything up to this tradition!", Tashigi interrupted him, "I don't want to and I won't. And now I'm going back to the Navy!"  
With that she turned around and started walking, but her father's next words left her frozen.  
"The decision has been made and the Navy is no longer an option for you. You were discharged honorably today, the papers are in your room. Your future husband is already on the way and will arrive here soon."  
Tashigi was too shocked to say anything about it.

* * *

"We'll dock in about half an hour!", Nami called over deck and Zoro grunted reluctantly.  
Throughout the trip he had tried to get out of Johnny and Yosaku why his parents wanted to see him. He was sure that the two knew more than they admitted, but even under the threat of torture, his friends had remained silent.  
Zoro leaned against the railing and watched them get closer to the island; it wasn't long before he could make out two figures facing them.  
His parents.  
With a sigh he pushed himself off the railing... he couldn't wait to set sail again.

"Zoro! My boy! It's so nice to see you again."  
Zoro had to suppress a smile when his mother hugged him tightly while his father slapped him hard on the back. Okay, maybe he was a little happy about this reunion.  
"Mother. Father. May I introduce my Crew to you?"

While everyone was getting to know each other, he examined his parents. They had grown older, but his mother's green hair had not started to fade and his father had always had gray hair. Even if Zoro hated to admit it, it was good to see his parents again.

After Roronoa Juan and Alejandra had greeted the Straw Hat Crew extensively, they turned back to their son.  
"So why am I here?", asked Zoro. He did not miss the fact that his parents looked at each other uncertainly; which automatically made him skeptical.  
"So", his father began, "there was an offer that your mother and I just couldn't refuse."  
"And what does that have to do with me?"  
"Well... your father and I have decided that you will marry Hiroki Watanabe's daughter."

In his whole life, Zoro would never have thought that he could open his mouth as far as he did after his mother had burst this bomb. For minutes it was quiet on the jetty and everyone stared at either Zoro or his parents. It was Nami who spoke first:  
"Hiroki Watanabe? The world's most powerful arms dealer? The one who employs and trains the best and most successful assassins?"

"Yes, exactly that one", replied Juan without looking up from Zoro.  
"I didn't know he had a daughter. You only ever hear about his son", said Robin.  
"Oh yeah. She and he have not been in contact for a long time, but it seems that she is now ready to come back home", Alejandra babbled on.  
"You sold me!", Zoro suddenly boomed.

He hadn't really gotten over the shock yet, but he couldn't just stand there while the others talked about the daughter of some criminal he was supposed to marry.  
"We didn't sell you", said his father, "Hiroki probably came across you in search of a suitable husband for his daughter. He contacted us and one thing led to another."

Zoro glared at his father for a few more seconds, then turned on his heel. "Nice to have seen you again. See you then."Perplexed, his parents watched him go.  
"Zoro, wait!", cried Juan.  
"You haven't met her yet! She is beautiful and extremely talented in sword fighting!", his mother threw after him.

Zoro just raised his hand to say goodbye and kept walking towards the Sunny. And if this woman were the most beautiful in the world, he wouldn't marry her. The thing about sword fighting didn't appeal to him much either; he didn't want to and wouldn't marry. His parents would force him to do something like that.  
He... in one moment Zoro cursed his parents and in the next moment he felt something hit him hard on the back of the head and then everything went black.

* * *

Taichi Watanabe looked from the unconscious greenhead his sister was about to marry to his surprised parents and the equally surprised pirates.  
"My father hates waiting", he commented simply on what just happened.

* * *

After her father announced that he had arranged for her honorable discharge from the Navy, Tashigi immediately stormed into her old room and actually found the said documents on her desk.  
With tears of anger and despair in her eyes, Tashigi sank to the edge of the bed. She couldn't understand that her father had gone that far. That he was so powerful...

She felt her mother put her hand on her shoulder and then Tashigi finally collapsed. Sobbing, she threw herself on her mother's chest.  
"He's ruining my whole life", she pressed out after a few minutes.  
Hinagiku rocked her gently and stroked her head comfortingly.

"Your father always has only the best in mind for you." Angrily, Tashigi released herself from the hug.  
"In which he ended my career? In which he wants to force me to marry someone else? In which he wants to force me to take over the family business? A business I never wanted to deal with!"

"Tashigi, your father loves you, but..."  
"He loves me?", Tashigi interrupted, jumping up from the bed and starting to run up and down angrily, "He never did anything other than impose his will on me. He…"  
"Tashigi Watanabe!", her mother's voice boomed across the room and Tashigi stopped in amazement. Her mother had never raised her voice before.

"Your father loves you and he will always want the best in life for you. Your father is a man who honors traditions, yes. But if you two stubborn heads had talked it out in the past few years, you could have avoided this situation today. But since you refused to come home and your father refused to ask you politely instead of ordering you to, fail to do so, your father acts largely out of pride. As for the other part... your father is very sick, Tashigi. He doesn't have long to live... You should put your pride and defiance behind and start talking to him."  
With these words, Hinagiku got up and left Tashigi speechless again.

* * *

Watanabe.  
Everyone knew this name. It stood for weapons of the highest quality and murders that were carried out quickly and cleanly; and it stood for discretion.  
A murder could never be proven to them, never a delivery of weapons to them could be traced, details about customers or clients never came to light.

The family had been murdering and smuggling for generations, and the government hadn't bothered about it for generations. Why do?  
The Watanabe family was perfect for when a political opponent became uncomfortable or when the secret affair threatened to make it public.

Tashigi Watanabe had never been able to identify herself with all of this. Together with her brother, who was only a year younger, she had been trained in all martial arts and had learned to make a murder look like an accident the moment she could walk. But unlike Taichi, she had never been particularly good in all of these disciplines.

She had never been able to remember the effects of all the different poisons and had never understood how to move completely silently. Firstly, she was just too clumsy for this job and secondly, Tashigi had questioned early on whether the family's actions were right.

The older she got, the stronger her sense of justice became and the more she learned about the family business, the more she rejected it. She started refusing to attend classes and even tried to manipulate the orders.  
With very little success; she was only ten years old and although she was the daughter of the head of the family, no one took her seriously when she claimed that the order to murder or the order of a large arms shipment had been canceled.

Since Tashigi had not only inherited his brown eyes, but also his stubborn head, there were quarrels between her and her father at an early age. As the first-born, she was committed to the family tradition after the death of Hiroki to continue his business, whether it suited her or not. She would not have to carry out an order personally, she just had to make sure that the customers were satisfied; her father had said more than once.

But that also violated her principles. She decided to break with her father and join the Navy, thinking the Navy was the best place for her and everything she believed in. But it was not like that.  
In her early years, she knew a lot that the government was corrupt, but she had never believed in the level of corruption even in the ranks of the Navy.

Tashigi had never given anyone her last name in her entire career. Firstly, because she absolutely didn't want to be associated with her family's business, and secondly, because at the beginning she thought she could do something about corruption in the Navy.  
An undertaking that she had quickly given up on. Instead, she had done everything to always do the right thing herself, even if that meant dealing with pirates.

With more momentum than intended, Tashigi let her Katana fly through the air and lost her balance. A short moan escaped her as she hit the stone floor of the exercise room hard. Sweaty and drained, she just lay there for a few moments.  
If she closed her eyes, she could pretend she was still on her ship.  
"Once a clumsy, always a clumsy."

Or maybe not. Sighing, Tashigi got up and looked at her brother.  
"How long have you been there?"  
Taichi shrugged.  
"Pretty much all the time. You got damn good."  
Tashigi stuck her Katana back into her hilt with hard eyes.  
"But still not good enough", she replied. Her brother smiled and lit a cigarette.  
"As ambitious as ever."

The siblings remained silent while Tashigi wiped the sweat from her face and took a few deep sips from her water bottle. Even if you couldn't deny a relationship on the outside, Tashigi and Taichi could hardly be more different.

Where Tashigi always fails, her brother has had the greatest success. He was the most successful and talented assassin her father had in his ranks. Taichi had a good eye for numbers and always found new ways to smuggle all goods. All in all, he was the perfect successor for Hiroki.  
That's why Tashigi didn't understand why her father insisted so much that she took his place.

"So ...", Taichi started, "You have been back for over twenty-four hours now and you are doing nothing but exercising or hiding in your room."  
"Are you watching me?"  
Taichi shrugged again and Tashigi looked at him suspiciously.  
"Father incited you to do that, right?", she asked.  
"Possible." Groaning, Tashigi dropped onto one of the benches.  
"Why can't he just leave me alone?"

Taichi sat next to her.  
"He has grown old, Tash. He wants to make peace."  
"He has strange methods of doing that."  
She felt Taichi's hand on her shoulder.  
"Stop hiding in your room and talk to him..."  
Tashigi didn't answer, then her brother gave her shoulder a firm squeeze and stood up.  
"By the way, your future husband has arrived. Yui is waiting in your room to get you ready. "  
Tashigi just watched her brother with a little hatred.

* * *

"I haven't seen him myself yet, but I've heard that he should be extremely handsome", Yui babbled as she pinned Tashigi's hair up.

Yui was her old nanny and has always been an excellent source of gossip. Not that Tashigi was ever very interested in something like that and today she was even less interested in it.

Nobody had ever been able to give her a name or a precise description of the man her father had chosen for her. Neither Taichi nor her mother had been able or willing to answer her questions. She was sure that they knew more than they admitted. Of course, she could have just asked her father, but Tashigi wasn't ready to talk to her father yet.

So that's how she sat here: an adult woman of twenty-three who had already achieved, experienced and survived so much in her life and was preparing to meet her future husband, whom she did not know, and only because she did not yet know how to get out of this number.

Escape was not an option now that she knew Taichi was watching her. He was both faster and stronger than her. So for the time being she had no choice but to play a part in the matter and continue to look for a solution.

"You are beautiful", her mother's voice pulled her out of her brooding.  
For the first time, Tashigi took a look at her reflection and didn't recognize herself. Yui had put up her blue hair artistically and braided white flowers into it. Subtle brown eyeshadow and a little mascara with bright red lips rounded off the overall picture.  
Beautiful was something different, Tashigi thought.

"I have the perfect dress tailored for you."  
Reluctantly, Tashigi got up and looked at the dress her mother had put on her bed. It was dark blue and after what Tashigi knew about dresses it seemed like a halter top; it was cut accordingly deep. Devotedly Tashigi closed her eyes, she knew very well that there would be no point in arguing with her mother. Sooner or later she would wear the dress anyway.

* * *

She should have discussed and how she should have discussed. After Tashigi put on the dress and made her way to the hall with her mother, she had only noticed that the dress was not only cut out deep, but also had a slit. And so she showed with every step she did her left leg up to the thigh.  
Tashigi hated it and her mother had been proud to wipe the tears from her eyes.

But there was no turning back, she was wearing the dress and was now standing in front of the hall behind whose doors a future husband was waiting for her. At least that's what he thought, Tashigi was sure to find another way out.

"Are you ready?", her mother asked whereupon Tashigi just gave her a meaningful look.  
Ready to take off this dress? Yes.  
Ready to leave this island? Yes.  
Ready to face her father and the man he chose for her? No.

Hinagiku didn't realized her look, but opened the door a crack and stuck her head inside. A little later she pulled her head back and smiled at Tashigi.  
"The hair color takes some getting used to, but otherwise he looks good."

Tashigi didn't care what the man looked like, she just wanted to get it over with. One last encouraging smile from her mother, then she pushed open the double doors and entered the hall. Tashigi followed closely.

The first thing she did was give her father a bitter look, he should know that she was still mad at him. Only then did she look at the man standing in front of her father.  
Shocked, her eyes and mouth opened wide and she stopped abruptly. She wouldn't marry this man for all the money in the world. Tashigi turned on her heel and stormed out of the hall.


	2. Encounters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Hello and welcome to chapter two of "Watanabe" thanks for every reader and reviewer until now :)   
> This chapter, altough written last year, is dedicated to LunnaMars.   
> Happy belated birthday again 💜

**Chapter Two: Encounters**

Zoro rubbed the bulge on the back of his head, which he owed the bastard only three meters away. The guy had kidnapped him. Zoro had been on his way leaving this damned island after learning that his parents had sold him off like a piece of cattle and then that blue-haired asshole had appeared out of nowhere and knocked him out. He hadn't seen, heard or felt him coming. It was a mystery to Zoro how the guy had done it.

And so his parents still got it their way. Together with them and his Crew, Zoro now stood in this strange hall, waiting for his unknown fiancée. This Hiroki Watanabe, the mastermind of this whole disaster, was sitting in front of him on a throne-like chair.

For the fact that Robin and Nami had only spoken in the highest tones of the guy, the old man looked rather rickety. Next to the old man stood the guy who had knocked him down and had an amused grin on his lips, which Zoro would like to knock out of his face.

Except for his parents, no one had said a word since they arrived. Then one of the doors was opened a crack and an older woman stuck her head inside. The old man in his chair nodded to her and shortly afterwards the door was pushed open and the woman entered. Followed by a younger girl who glared at the old geezer.  
Zoro had to admit that she didn't look bad and that she had a great figure, but he still didn't want to get married.

Suddenly the younger girl's eyes fell on him and she stopped dead, abruptly turned around and started running. While Zoro raised his eyebrows in astonishment, the old man spoke for the first time:  
"Tashigi! Stop right now!"  
Suddenly Zoro's feet went ice cold. Tashigi? Like in Captain Tashigi? In the navy? Sword nerd? Always in tow of the ole smoke sock?

He didn't even notice the blue-haired man storming after the fleeing; he was too busy with his thoughts.  
Tashigi and this very handsome woman could not be the same person; that was simply not possible. The Tashigi he knew would never put on such a sexy dress... and wasn't the old man somehow the king of the criminals? Such a man could never be Tashigi's father, she was far too judicial for that.

"Taichi! Let me down immediately! I warn you! Let me go!"  
Tashigi's roar finally pulled Zoro out of his thoughts. The man named Taichi had laid the fugitive over his shoulder and carried her calmly back into the hall. Zoro could not help thinking back of how he had carried Tashigi on his shoulder not so long ago.

"Sorry, Sissy, but you can't get out of this", the man replied and unloaded his "freight" right in front of Zoro.  
Tashigi, now he was absolutely certain that it was her, angrily crossed her arms under her chest, which only drew more attention to her ample bosom; not that Zoro would pay attention to it though.  
She stared at him angrily, then at the man who appeared to be her brother and finally she fixed her gaze on her father.

"You don't make a very good first impression", said the latter.  
"I don't need to do that. I already know the moss head, as you know for sure", Tashigi replied coldly.  
A smile spread across the old man's face.  
"Of course, I know about your history. That's why I chose him."  
"I will not marry him", said Tashigi defiantly. Zoro almost expected that she would also stamp her foot on the ground.  
"You have no other choice."  
"He is a pirate!", continued Tashigi.

And pirates weren't allowed to get married or what?  
"I am aware of that."  
"I'm... in the Navy..."  
"You were in the Navy."  
Zoro's gaze remained fixed on Tashigi. Wasn't she in the Navy anymore? How did that happen?  
"I..." Obviously she was desperately looking for further arguments and Zoro felt something contract in him, but quickly pushed this feeling aside.  
"Just for the record: I don't want to marry you either", he said, glaring at Tashigi.

"I would marry you on the spot, Tashi. Darling!", Sanji's voice came from the side. At the same time, Zoro and Tashigi turned their heads to the cook.  
"Shut up!"  
"That's enough now!", thundered the old man's very strong voice through the hall, "Your marriage has been decided and there is no way around it!"

Again Tashigi crossed her arms under her chest and this time she really stamped her foot.  
"The last word has not yet been spoken, father", she said and then left the hall.  
Zoro looked after her wordlessly and this time this unknown feeling in his chest couldn't be easily pushed aside.

* * *

Tashigi ran barefoot and with tears in her eyes from her parents' house to the harbor. She knew very well that she had no chance of escaping from the island. Her father had certainly told his spies, who were scattered all over the place, never to let her out of his sight.  
But the wide port of the island had always given Tashigi a feeling of security and secureness. But this time there was no feeling like that, she was too agitated.

Roronoa Zoro.  
Of all the people in the world, Hiroki Watanabe chose Roronoa Zoro. And with intention. But why?  
What did he get from engaging her with one of her worst enemies? Against both of their wills.

Yes, she could admit that Roronoa and the rest of the Straw Hats had their good sides, but that didn't change the fact that they were pirates and Tashigi was a Marine. Former Marine, she recalled.

She thought she had freed herself from her father years ago, but apparently, he had just made her believe it. He could have made her come home at any time and now he had. Even if Tashigi didn't understand his motives.  
What did he get from handing over the business to her? He knew very well that she didn't approve of the murders or the smuggling of weapons. She would ruin his hard-earned success. She…  
Tashigi widened her eyes when she realized what possibilities opened up here, but for that she would have to marry Roronoa Zoro...

"Tashigi? Tashigi Watanabe? Is it really you?" Surprised, Tashigi turned and looked into a couple of blue eyes that she had never thought she would see again.  
"Akito? Akito! Wow! What... It's nice to see you again", Tashigi let out and hugged the young man in front of her.  
"I never thought to see you again, Tashigi. You are looking good."  
"Thank you. But you look good yourself. "

Akito was the same age as Taichi and had been his best friend in childhood. The Watanabe boy had never been found without his little shadow called Akito.  
The boy, who was much too small and too thin at the time, had grown into a tall, strong and handsome young man.  
"What are you doing here? We all thought Hiroki would never make you come back home", Akito asked.  
Tashigi's smile faded.

"To keep a long story short: He let Taichi kidnap me and wants to marry me to a pirate."  
Akito first looked at her with wide eyes and then he smiled sadly.  
"If your father has something in his head, he always finds ways and means to assert himself."  
Tashigi sighed and looked at the sea again.  
"Yes... he even made sure I was released from the Navy."

They remained silent for a long time, each of them seeming to be lost in their own thoughts.  
"And what keeps you on this island? You always wanted to travel the world", Tashigi asked at some point.  
Akito took a surprisingly long time to answer her.  
"I work for your father."  
Surprised, she looked at the man next to her.

It was a fact that many teenagers on this island dreamed of serving the Watanabe family, but Akito had never said anything about it.  
"That's... surprising", she said. Akito smiled sadly at her.  
"Shortly after you left the island, my family ran into financial difficulties. Hiroki offered me a job and now... "  
"You're stuck with him."  
"Not really. I paid off my debt a long time ago. However, I like my job."

Now Tashigi was speechless; she absolutely hadn't expected that.  
"Shocking, isn't it?", asked Akito, grinning.  
"Little bit."  
"But at least now nobody calls me Taichi's shadow anymore."  
Then Tashigi laughed.

* * *

Frowning, Zoro watched Tashigi laugh with the unknown man. He hadn't wanted to follow her at all, but after she had left them all in the hall, he too had taken the liberty of leaving. And somehow he had landed at the harbor and discovered her.

For a long time he had debated with himself whether he should speak to her or rather keep his distance, but that show up and the subsequent warm embrace of the stranger had relieved him of this decision.

Zoro was still not sure that he understood everything that was going on, but he and Tashigi should get married and Tashigi fought back with every fiber of her being against it. It wasn't that he jumped for joy based on the facts, but why did she do such a fuss about it?

He wasn't going to do this, either, but he wasn't going to freak out because of it. What problem did she have with him?  
Admittedly, he hadn't always been terribly friendly to her, but he thought after Punk Hazard they would have arrived at a... friendlier level. Apparently he was wrong.

"Well, jealous?"  
Zoro took away from his thoughts. Again, this guy had managed to approach him unnoticed.  
"What do you want?"  
"I have instructions not to let you or my sister out of my sight. There is an increased risk of escape for both of you."

Zoro didn't answer, just glared at the man next to him. Usually that was enough for people to leave him alone, but the other was not impressed by it, even had the insolence to reach out and introduce himself:  
"Taichi. And sorry for knocking you down."  
Again Zoro didn't answer, just looked back at Tashigi and the other man.

"My sister does not seem to have a very good opinion of you", Taichi continued unmoved, "What surprises me, you seem to like swords as much as she does. In my opinion you would be perfect for each other."  
"Find the mistake. I'm a pirate and she's a Marine", Zoro replied without taking his eyes off Tashigi.  
"She was a Marine", corrected his intrusive interlocutor.

"Didn't think that she would ever left the club alive and voluntarily." Zoro really wouldn't have. Tashigi was always so eager to do the right thing and change the world that he didn't understand that she had left the Navy behind. He had always thought that one day, if she fought an enemy who was too strong for her, she would lose her life. While Taichi lit a cigarette, Zoro got his answer:  
"She didn't leave voluntarily. Our father made sure that she was released honorably. It just doesn't make a good impression if the head of the Watanabe family is in the Navy. Bad for business and all that. "

"Assassin and smuggler... hard to imagine that Tashigi is related to you", Zoro said more to himself than to the other guy.  
Taichi breathed his cigarette in deeply.  
"She was always different, didn't want to have anything to do with the family business early on. She left the island when she was thirteen and never set foot on it again until Father decided to bring her back."

"And what's in it for him to do it all against her will?"  
"He is not accountable to me", replied Taichi, "According to family tradition, it is always the oldest child who takes over the business. However, it must be married, which explains your role in the whole."  
"And why did he choose me?", asked Zoro.  
"He has had Tashigi watched since she left, and something about your first meeting in Loguetown must have fascinated him. But he didn't explain anything to me there either."

Down at the harbor, Tashigi and the other man hugged each other again, and Zoro's chest contracted somewhat painfully. It was something he didn't know. Something he couldn't place. Something that drove him crazy.

"I don't understand what he gets from it myself. He might as well have married her to Akito. They have been friends since childhood, and he works for us. Or he could have just let her live her life the way she thought it was right." Zoro said nothing, just watched Tashigi and the man who appeared to be this Akito leave the harbor.

Maybe her father had recognized what Zoro had already noticed. Namely, that Tashigi would kill herself sooner rather than later, because she constantly stood in the way of people who were so much stronger than her.  
"Should I tell you what I find exciting?", asked Taichi.  
"I can't stop you from doing that."  
Zoro didn't like the grin that spread across Taichi's lips.  
"You didn't even deny during the entire conversation that you two would fit together."

* * *

Even two days later, Zoro still didn't know why this whole circus was being held. What he knew was that the wedding preparations had started and Tashigi went on the barricades whenever and wherever she could.  
He had spoken to his parents in the hope that they could tell him why this Hiroki chose him and why he was so eager to hold this wedding despite all the protests. But he was disappointed.

A few months ago, Hiroki had sent Taichi to them and suggested they be engaged; of course, they would receive a substantial sum of money if they agreed. Since Roronoa Juan and Alejandra had feared never having a daughter-in-law, let alone grandchildren, since Zoro's departure, they agreed after a short time. It was absolutely not about the money. When they asked why Zoro was chosen, they hadn't been told.

Taichi claimed to have told him everything he knew, Tashigi refused to even acknowledge his presence and whenever Zoro tried to speak to this Hiroki himself, he had been made to understand that he had no chance of talking to the old man.

On the same evening of their arrival, Zoro had discussed the current situation with his friends, because nobody had expected Zoro to get married. Sanji had wished for him to die during the whole conversation and even tried to make it true one or the other time. The cook was not at all enthusiastic that someone like Zoro should marry the lovely Tashigi.

The rest of the crew seemed strangely amused by the unusual events and Luffy had announced loudly that they would stay until the wedding. Not the kind of support Zorro had hoped for.  
But well, he wasn't going to marry Tashigi anyway, but he would find out what this Hiroki was doing here.

* * *

Since Tashigi had learned that Roronoa Zoro should become her husband, she hadn't spoken to anyone in her family. No matter how many times Taichi and her mother had knocked on the door of her room, no matter how many times her father had quoted her in the hall, she had kept silent.  
She also stubbornly refused to take part in the wedding preparations; she did not come to the dressmaker for appointments and gave no opinion on the decoration or the food. She was acting childish, she knew that, but she would just sit it out.

Her father had successfully managed to get her home and destroy her career, but he could not force her to go to the altar, let alone say yes.  
At first Tashigi had considered allying herself with Roronoa, but had quickly turned that idea away; after careful consideration and consultation with Akito.

She had spent most of the time with him since she returned, and that was almost three weeks ago. She was amazed at how pleasant it was to spend time with him. Even though she had spent time with him as a child, she had never seen him more than her little brother's shadow.

But this shadow had grown up and it was amazingly easy for him to distract her from all the chaos. It had become an evening ritual for Tashigi and Akito to meet at the port and talk about times past, including this evening.  
Most of the time it was Tashigi who arrived first, she sat on the quay wall and looked out at the sea while waiting.

"May I sit down with you?" Tashigi looked up in surprise at the unfamiliar voice and saw her soon to be father-in-law standing next to her.  
"Sure", she replied, unable to imagine what he wanted from her.  
"Roronoa Juan. I don't think we have officially introduced ourselves yet", said the man, holding out his hand.  
"Tashigi", she replied, shaking the offered hand.  
"Tashigi, I want to apologize to you."  
"What?"  
Completely surprised, she looked at the man next to her.

"My wife and I had no idea what waves this engagement would make. We thought we were doing something good for our son. Nobody told us that you are on two completely different sides of the law and that you have met several times."  
For a while Tashigi just looked at Juan and let his words sink in, then she replied:  
"You are not at fault. It is my father. He has always withheld information when he thought it was right. "

Juan nodded understandingly.  
"How did you meet? You and Zoro."  
A small smile crept onto Tashigi's lips.  
"It was in Loguetown... he broke my glasses and since he had no money to pay for the damage, I forced him to clean the marine bases."  
Juan laughed out loud.  
"I would have loved to see that with my own eyes. And you didn't recognize him at the time?"

"No, I was pretty naive and didn't even ask for his name. On the contrary, later I even gave him a lecture about himself and he just grinned all the time and didn't say a word."

Even after all this time, Tashigi still felt quite stupid because of this. Then Juan put a hand on her shoulder and pressed gently.  
"Let me tell you something about my son", he began, "When Zoro left us to fulfill his dream, the next thing we heard from him was that he was now a pirate hunter. Of course, we weren't enthusiastic, but at least he chased the bad guys, we told ourselves. When we heard that he himself had become a pirate, his mother passed out first."

Juan stopped and looked out at the sea for a few moments.  
"Zoro had always been very idiosyncratic and very independent, but we thought that we and his Sensei had given him the right values. To hear that he was a pirate was a shock and we thought we had completely failed in his upbringing. But the Straw-Hat pirates are different from other pirates. They don't murder and steal for fun. Rather the opposite. They help people in need wherever they can. This realization gave us back hope that our son hadn't become such a bad guy."

Again Tashigi just looked at Juan, she was not speechless, but she had to deal with the fact that the facts that she had tried to deny had been thrown at her.  
Roronoa Zoro was outrageous, rude, and sometimes a real chunk, but he was far from being a bad person. Even if he liked to pretend to be one. He and his friends had probably saved more lives than many members of the Navy.

"I also think he likes you", said Juan and Tashigi opened her eyes in horror.  
"What?"  
The man just smiled mischievously.  
"Yes. He keeps an eye on you; he believes that nobody will notice, but Zoro has never been the brightest candle in the candlestick."  
Despite her perplexity, Tashigi laughed.

"No, seriously", said Juan after she calmed down, "My son likes you in his own quirky way. I can't say for sure how deep these feelings go. But something about you seems important to him, because after his first attempt to escape, in my opinion, he took part in this whole situation much too calmly."

Tashigi looked out at the sea again.  
"After everything... what he said to me during our encounters, it is difficult to believe these words."  
"Unfortunately, that's his way of expressing feelings. We have always tried to make a polite person out of him. He is not polite, but at least he is quite decent."  
The next few minutes they were silent until Juan sighed deeply.  
"Tashigi, as much as I would love to have you as a daughter-in-law, but you and Zoro are the only ones who can solve this situation to your satisfaction. You should jump over your shadow and talk to him."

Her eyes fell again on the older man at her side, who now stood up and smiled at her.  
"I'll leave you alone now. Thank you for your time."  
Tashigi had too many other things on her mind to remember her manners and just stared after him thoughtfully.

"Tashigi?"  
Akito's voice brought her back to the here and now.  
"Did he bother you?", he asked.  
"Who? Juan?"  
Akito nodded and Tashigi smiled.  
"No... on the contrary..."  
"What does that mean?", asked her childhood friend doubtfully. With a sigh she got up and replied:  
"He said some good things to me. Excuse me, but I have something else to do tonight." With these words, she turned and made her way home.


	3. Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me welcome you once again to another chapter of "Watanabe"  
> I hope you enjoy   
> 💚

**Chapter Three: Revelation**

Tashigi found Roronoa Zoro in the practice room of the house. She had avoided him in the past; in retrospect, she couldn't say exactly why she had done that. It was probably a mixture of the surprising reunion and the fact that their parents decided to marry them.  
But actually she could still be happy about her father's choice, it could have been far worse. Tashigi was startled... Where did this thought come from?  
Anyway.

She entered the practice room and cleared her throat. The greenhead looked up from his weights and Tashigi could swear he gave her a quick questioning look before scowling at her as usual.  
"Hey", she said, not sure how to start this conversation.  
"Can I help you in any way?", he asked without stopping his exercise.  
"Um... I talked to your father." Now Zoro stopped and looked at her skeptically.  
"About what?"  
Tashigi couldn't help the grin on her face.  
"Oh... about this and that", she answered vaguely.  
"Tashigi ..", he growled softly and she looked at him in surprise. Had he just used her name?

"What were you talking about?", asked Zoro after a while, just staring at her.  
Tashigi cleared her throat once more.  
"He said you like me."  
This time he tried not to hide his expression and looked at her openly surprised.  
"What?"  
"Your father thinks I mean something to you."  
The swordsman grunted briefly and then resumed is workout.  
"You are no longer as caustic as at the beginning, that's right", he said then, without taking his eyes off the barbell.

An unknown warm feeling spread in Tashigi and she knew that she was blushing. Then she cleared her throat several times and slapped her red cheeks a few times with both hands. However, Roronoa's critical eyes didn't help her calm down.  
"Um...", began Tashigi, "Your father gave me... one or two tips for our current... misery."  
The swordsman put down the barbell and then fixed his gaze on her firmly.  
"Did he?"

It took Tashigi a while to look away from Roronoa's sweaty torso. Why did the guy have to train without a top? In order to get a clear thought at all, she turned and looked at the wall.  
"He said that you and I are the only ones who can solve this problem."

"I look at it a little differently." Surprised, she looked back at him.  
"Your father put us all in here, so it's up to you to clear it up."  
"And how am I supposed to do that?", she asked snappily. Roronoa got up and walked up to her. Tashigi hated that he was so much taller than her.  
"Very simple: talk to him."  
And with that Roronoa Zoro left her speechless and a little indignant in the practice room.

* * *

Talk to him? Talk to her father? What did Roronoa actually think who he is?  
One couldn't talk to her father! Not in a thousand years would she get a reasonable explanation from Hiroki Watanabe!  
Groaning loudly, Tashigi dropped onto her bed. Roronoa's "advice" was two days ago and she was still upset about it.  
He had met her father, how could he expect her to just talk to him like that?

Unlike Roronoa's father, hers was not so nice and kind. With a sigh, Tashigi stared at the ceiling. But somehow... the idiot was right. She was the only one who could sort this out and she needed to talk to her father.  
Frustrated, she pressed her face into her pillow, but she didn't want to speak to him. He would just tell her again how much she had harmed the family with her work for the Navy... or something like that.

But she didn't want to marry Roronoa Zoro either. Tashigi lifted the pillow from her face and checked the watch; normally she would now head to the port to meet Akito. But she hadn't done that last night, and she probably wouldn't be tonight.  
She was aware that the evenings with her old friend had only delayed the inevitable, but she did not regret it. With another sigh, she rose from her bed, straightened her glasses, and made her way to her parents' bedroom.  
All the whining and childish behavior were of no use, there were things that had to be clarified and she would not leave her father in peace until he had answered her question.

It was her mother who opened the door and looked at her in surprise.  
"Tashigi... what can I do for you?"  
Tashigi took another deep breath before answering:  
"I would like to speak to Father."  
She noticed that her mother looked uncertainly over her shoulder into the room.  
"He's not doing so well tonight, maybe tomorrow .."  
"Let her in, Hinagiku. And go and get yourself some tea or something", Hiroki's weak voice said.  
Her mother looked into the room again, then smiled lovingly at Tashigi before silently disappearing down the hall.

Throughout her life, Tashigi had wondered how her mother endured marriage to her father. She pushed the thought aside and entered her parents' bedroom.  
Hiroki was sitting in an armchair in front of the fireplace with a thick wool blanket spread over his legs. He looked strangely lost in the armchair and even slimmer than before.

"It is about time for you to show up. Sit down", he said after she closed the door. Immediately her neck hair rose in anger and she considered walking away. But she stayed and sat obediently to her father.  
"The wedding will take place in two weeks and I heard you weren't even at the dressmaker's because of your dress."  
"I'm not here to get a scolding", Tashigi said through gritted teeth.  
"And yet you will receive one. Instead of worrying about your wedding and your fiancé, you waste your time with defiance and Akito."

"It was a mistake to come here", she said, getting up and walking to the door.  
"Tashigi, I'm dying! Very soon and not because of age or illness."  
The hand on the doorknob Tashigi turned in shock and stared at her father.  
"What?"  
If his condition was not due to his age or illness, there was only one explanation.

"I was poisoned."  
Her hand fell off the handle; she was stunned. Poisoned? Her father was poisoned?  
"How? Who?", she breathed.  
As if in a trance, she went back to her father and dropped into the second armchair.  
"How? I suspect that they mixed it with my food. Who? I don't know. I have many enemies."  
After Tashigi left the first... shock behind her, her brain began to work at full speed.

"What about your taster? Why didn't they notice the poison? Do you have a list of people who are most likely to be eligible? And why am I only now finding out about it? Why have Taichi and mother never mentioned this to me?"  
Tashigi couldn't believe it, she didn't understand how it could happen. Who would dare to poison the mighty Hiroki Watanabe? Sure, her father had more than enough enemies and envious people who wanted to take his place, but she had always assumed that her father was well protected by his people. She heard her father take a breath and drew her full attention to him.

"None of my tasters has fared like me; so either one of them was bribed or it was someone very close to me. A list of possible suspects is in the first drawer of my bedside table, you can have it if you want. Your brother and mother didn't say anything because they don't know. Nobody knows it but me and you."  
Now she looked at him with wide eyes.  
"Why?", she breathed.  
Hiroki closed his eyes for a few minutes.

"Your brother and mother are too close to me to be able to do factual research on the matter. I don't mean to say that you and I are not close. But I hope that your long absence will give you the necessary distance to find out who did this to me." Of course, her father had approached the matter perfectly logically; Tashigi couldn't blame him.  
"Was that why you brought me back?", she asked more softly.  
Her father nodded.

"Also. But I really want you to take over the family business."  
"What will prevent me from changing the whole business? End the killing and smuggling "  
Her father's gentle smile threw Tashigi completely off track.  
"Nothing", he replied, but Tashigi was still too confused to answer, so Hiroki continued:  
"You can do whatever you want with the family business. I actually think that change is long overdue. However, keep in mind that you will make enemies with every decision you make."  
Flabbergasted Tashigi let herself sink lower into the armchair; she had expected everything, but not that her father would practically give her his blessing for changing the family business.

"Of course you have to get married before you put your plans into action."  
Ah... that's right, there was a catch.  
"Why Roronoa Zoro of all people?", she asked wearily.  
Her father laughed softly, a tone that Tashigi hadn't heard in ages.  
"I think the two of you fit together very well and if you finally ended your perpetual bitchiness, you would make a good team. In addition, hardly anyone would bend a hair on Roronoa Zoro's wife."  
"But he's a pirate... and he has his own goals and dreams", she argued.

"Nowhere is it written that he must not leave this island for the rest of his life. After the wedding you can both do what you want; provided you continue to take care of the family business. Whatever it is made of."  
Tashgi had expected many things when she was looking for this conversation; especially a lot of anger and shouting. Her father's open and confidential attitude was refreshing. However, she became increasingly confused. For minutes she stared into the flames of the fire burning in the fireplace until her father spoke again:

"Tashigi, I don't know how much time I have left. I don't even know if I will live until your wedding, but I trust you. You will find the one who did this to me. Even if it should take years. As head of the family, all doors are open to you. You just have to trust the right people." He looked at her intently and for a brief moment he was completely his old self again.  
Tashigi blinked and then her weak father sat in front of her again.  
"Take the list from my bedside table and then go. I'm tired."  
Before Tashigi followed this... command, she gave her father a quick kiss on the cheek.  
"Sleep well, father."

* * *

"Tashigi?" She quickly turned around to the voice. She was just about to enter her room when Akito stopped her.  
"Akito. What can I do for you?", she asked.  
"I was waiting for you at the port."  
"Oh yes... I spoke to my father."  
"And last night? Where were you then?"

Under Akito's piercing gaze, Tashigi started to feel uncomfortable and she didn't know why he wanted to know where she has been.  
"I didn't feel well and went to bed early", she replied. She thought that he didn't look quite convinced, but when it seemed that he was going to reply, Roronoa Zoro came down the hall.  
Tashigi knew that he had been placed only a few rooms away from hers, so it was no surprise that he was walking along here.

Her involuntary fiancé and her old friend looked at each other seriously. She could feel the tension between the two rising and it only decreased after Zoro disappeared around the corner in the next aisle.  
"Did anything happen between you?", she asked. Akito looked at her amused.  
"Between the pirate and me? No, we haven't even spoken to each other."  
"But why...", she started but was interrupted.  
"So... are we still going down to the harbor? Then you can tell me about the conversation with your father."  
Tashigi looked at him for a few moments, then smiled softly.  
"No. It's late and I'm tired, but I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, Akito."  
"Good night, Tashigi."

* * *

Zoro only exhaled when he heard Tashigi's room door close and the steps of Akito had faded away. He couldn't explain himself why he had held his breath and eavesdropped on the remaining short conversation between Tashigi and Akito.

However, it reassured him that Tashigi no longer left the house at this time to hang around the harbor. He was more than aware that he had no right to worry about what she was doing with her life. But thoughts were hard to turn off.

Zoro also didn't like that she spent time with this Akito all the time. Something about this guy made Zoro completely tense every time, as if he had to expect an attack from the other man at any time. Which, of course, was utter nonsense, as Akito had correctly said, the two of them hadn't said a word to each other. But Zoro couldn't turn off his instincts either.

He shook his head and made his way to his room, at least he hoped that was the way. Since he had been on this island he had started to behave irrationally, at least in relation to Tashigi and it was extremely annoying that he did not know why he behaved like this. With a sigh he opened one of the many doors and was pleased to see that he had actually found his room.  
But at least Tashigi had apparently spoken to her father and maybe he would soon find out what was going on here.

* * *

"So, Tash, how was the conversation with Hiroki?", asked Akito, looking at her promptly.  
It was the next evening and as agreed, Tashigi had arrived at the harbor. She had spent the day processing and rethinking all of the newly received information. She was still shocked and somehow completely overwhelmed.

The fact that her father gave her such explosive information and trusted her was completely new territory for her. However, that would not change the fact that she would put all her energy into the investigation. She had already looked at the list of suspects, some names she knew from her service in the Navy, some even from childhood, and some she did not know.  
"Tashigi? Did you even listen to me?"

Tashigi looked away from the sea and smiled apologetically at Akito.  
"It was... nerve-wracking... heated. In the end, we just quarreled again", she replied, the last part being a lie. But as long as Tashigi had no close suspect circle, she had decided not to let anyone in on the matter. Except maybe Taichi and her mother.  
And even though she was ninety-nine percent sure she could trust Akito, there was always a bit of doubt. If her time in the Navy had taught her one thing, it was that you shouldn't blindly trust anyone. Not even friends or colleagues.

"I thought so", commented Akito, "Did he at least explain what this whole show is about?"  
Tashigi's eyes went back to the sea.  
"Do you mean why I should marry Roronoa Zoro?"  
Akito grunted in agreement.  
"No."

Another lie. It wasn't as if she didn't trust him on this, but Tashigi herself had a hard time understanding her father's arguments.  
Her and Roronoa a good team? Probably not even if hell would freeze over. But now that her father had told her that he didn't really care what she would do with the family business, she saw all the options.  
All the good that she could achieve with her family's range and money. But for that she had to marry Roronoa Zoro and she still didn't really liked the idea.

"You could still secretly marry someone else", Akito suggested.  
Tashigi looked at him amused.  
"And who?" It was not that an admirer was waiting for her in every port or that the men were lining up for her.  
"I don't know... me for example?"  
She opened her eyes wide and stared at him.  
"What?"  
"I would sacrifice myself to marry you", answered the man next to her. Then Tashigi frowned… sacrifice.

That sounded pretty mean, as if she wasn't able to find a man for herself. Admittedly, she had never thought of getting married before, but that didn't mean she wasn't able to find someone to match.  
"I mean, everyone is better than this pirate and we have known each other for quite a while and additionally you could annoy your father one more time", Akito continued unmoved.

Tashigi had never wanted to annoy her father, she just wanted him to let her live her life the way she wanted it...  
"Thank you, no Akito. I... appreciate your offer, but I don't feel comfortable marrying my little brother's best friend. I will now go home again. Good night."  
"Good night, Tash."

She didn't feel Akito looking after her, but instead she felt another person's eyes on her; she raised her head and saw Roronoa Zoro standing a few meters away, who seemed to be watching her. Her head was too full of all the other things, so she was just too exhausted to worry about the strange behavior of the pirate.  
What reasons could he have had to watch her? So she just turned away from him and made her way home.

* * *

Zoro had returned there sooner or later since his first evening on the island and since he had first seen Tashigi at the harbor with Akito. He had watched them both every evening.  
He had never been within earshot, he didn't want to know what the two were talking about. Sometimes he'd watched them for hours, sometimes just a few minutes. Depending on how quickly he found his way to the port.

Why was he watching them? He just didn't trust this Akito and he was more comfortable keeping an eye on Tashigi. Zoro couldn't explain why he thought he had to take care of Tashigi, but had quickly learned to accept this fact.  
Today, however, was the first night Tashigi caught him, but unlike expected, she hadn't responded to his presence at all; which more than confused Zoro.

He had expected shouting and maybe even a challenge to a duel, but not that she just turned her back on him.  
"What do you want here?"  
Great, Akito had also discovered him and, unlike Tashigi, decided to speak to him. Zoro glared at the man.  
"It's a free island, isn't it?"  
"Are you watching Tashigi?", the guy continued to ask.  
"And if? What do you want to do about it?"

Akito took a step closer and Zoro instinctively put a hand on one of his swords. The guy wanted stress? He could have that.  
"Listen to me carefully, pirate", Akito began, "I don't like to know that you are watching Tashigi. To be honest, I don't like your complete presence. Tashigi deserves someone better than you. "  
"Yeah? Someone like?", Zoro replied amused.  
"Yes for example."  
Now Zoro took a step towards Akito and pushed his finger to his chest.

"Now you listen to me. I, if I were in your shoes, would keep the ball nice and flat, because once Tashigi and I are married, I'm your boss."  
"You really think Tashigi will marry you? You? A dirty pirate?"  
Zoro didn't know where he got this security from, but he was pretty sure that neither Tashigi nor himself would find a way to get around this wedding.  
"Better me than a dirty assassin", he replied.

Akito's hand flicked to his waistband and Zoro was sure that the other would draw a gun. His sword was half drawn, then Zoro was distracted by his mother's voice.  
"Are you all right, boys?"  
It was a mystery to both men where Roronoa Alejandra suddenly came from, but both dropped their hands. Akito gave Zoro one last derogatory look, then turned without saying another word and left.

"Mother, what are you doing here?", asked Zoro and turned to her.  
"You'd think that now that we're on the same island, it's easy to find you for a chat. But no. You never hang around where you are expected, instead you almost fight with other boys at the harbor", Alejandra replied reproachfully.  
"I'm an adult, mother."  
"It doesn't matter how old your child is, Zoro, for you it will always be the little bundle that relied on you. You'll learn that yourself soon enough."  
Zoro looked blankly at his mother and then sat on the quay wall. He was sure that his mother wasn't finished with him and he was right.

"So", she said as she sat next to him, "The wedding is in less than two weeks."  
"If it takes place at all", Zoro said.  
"Oh... it just sounded very different."  
"I only said that because the guy got on my nerves and I don't like him", Zoro tried to speak his way out of it.  
"But you like Tashigi, don't you?"  
Zoro sighed.  
"She's okay."

His mother sighed, incomprehensible to Zoro.  
"You are just as talented in understanding your own feelings as in finding your way in your own room."  
Zoro looked sideways at his mother; now that was a low blow. A sympathetic expression entered his mother's blue eyes.

"Your father and I watched you a little bit and we're pretty sure you think Tashigi is more than just okay."  
"Oh yeah? I spoke to her once. How do you want to be sure?"  
"It is in your eyes, Zoro. The way you look at her and don't let her out of your sight until she has safely made her way from the harbor to the house. Nobody does this if they think the person is just okay."

He had really hoped that no one noticed his behavior, but apparently it had been in vain.  
"So you think I love her", he said, not daring to look at his mother.  
"That is what you said. I said that you think she is more than okay. Only you can answer whether you love her or not."

Zoro was silent for quite a while. Did he love Tashigi? He didn't know what love felt like at all. Yes, okay. Zoro loved his parents, he loved his friends and had loved Kuina somehow, but this love had been something completely different, right?  
"When I first saw her, she looked like Kuina", he said softly at some point.  
Alejandra put a hand on his back.  
"I know... her mother showed me old pictures of her. It must have been a shock to you."

The swordsman grunted and thought it was an understatement. But he quickly learned that Tashigi and Kuina couldn't be more different and from then on it became easier for him. And now Tashigi no longer resembled his childhood friend.  
"It's late. Are you accompanying me to the house?"  
Without saying a word, Zoro got up and silently followed his mother. He knew that she understood that his thoughts were somewhere else.

* * *

"Hey Sissy."  
Tashigi almost had a heart attack when she heard her brother's voice. She had just gone to bed and turned off the light, apparently he was sitting next to her on the bed.  
"Taichi! How do you get in here?"  
She was pretty sure she had been alone in her room.  
"I got in through the window", he replied turning the light back on.  
"Can't you use the door like any normal person?"  
Taichi grinned at her in amusement.  
"Where's the fun in that?" Sighing, Tashigi sat up and leaned slightly against the head of her bed.

"What can I do for you?"  
"I just wanted to chat a little with you. Just like in the old days."  
Like in the old days? She had to smile when she thought back to those times. As a child, Taichi had sneaked into her room with pleasure, scaring her to death again and again, after which the siblings had spent the time playing or just talking. Until they were caught by their mother and sent back to their beds.

"So what's going on between you and Akito?" Taichi pulled her out of her memory.  
"Nothing, we're just talking."  
"But you spend quite a bit of time with him", her brother replied softly.  
Tashigi looked at him questioningly.  
"That may be, but there is nothing going on. He just distracts me from all this chaos... although he probably proposed to me tonight."

Taichi's head snapped to her and he looked at her in shock. Which was an extremely rare sight for Tashigi.  
"You didn't accept that, did you?", he said.  
"God, no. He is your best friend. It would be like marrying you", she replied.  
Her brother seemed to exhale in relief and she frowned.  
"He was my best friend once."  
"What happened?"

Taichi slid deeper into her bed so that he was now more lying than sitting. He didn't look at her while he answered:  
"The time has passed... We broke apart shortly after he started working for us. He's doing a damn good job and a few days ago I asked Father why he really wanted to marry you to Zoro when Akito would be the more logical choice."  
"What did he say?", she asked curiously.

Although she knew her father's reasons for choosing Zoro, she was curious whether he had told them Taichi. Her brother now looked her dead in her eyes, which was strange, because otherwise Taichi Watanabe always had an amused sparkle in his eyes.  
"Father explained to me that although Akito was an excellent employee, he had already eliminated people on his own initiative or because of personal revenge."

Tashigi stared at him with her mouth open for a while.  
"If he kills people without an order, why is father still keeping him?", she asked after a few minutes.  
"So he has him under control, at least a little. Who knows what Akito would do if he had to justify himself to no one anymore?"  
Tashigi didn't want to think about that. It had been hard to imagine Akito working for her father at all, but she couldn't imagine that Akito would kill people who might just have looked at him the wrong way.  
"That's why I'm very glad that you rejected his proposal and father chose Zoro."

There it was again: the amused sparkle in Taichi's brown eyes and Tashigi couldn't help but smile.  
"And as I heard today, your fiancé is no longer so averse to the wedding", he said with a grin.  
Tashigi looked at him with raised eyebrows.  
"Where did you hear that?"  
That was completely absurd. Roronoa Zoro should want to marry her voluntarily?  
"I have my sources."  
For this she punched her brother vigorously on the shoulder once, but he seemed completely unimpressed by it.  
"That's why I know that you spoke to Father", he continued.  
"You don't need spies or sources for that. I bet Mother told you", she replied.  
"What did you talk about?"

Now Tashigi looked at him seriously. For a brief moment she considered putting Taichi in confidence, but rejected the thought. She would first make a plan and get information herself.  
"If I completely changed the structure of the family business, would you and the rest of the... employees be behind me?", she replied with a question instead.  
Taichi looked at her a little surprised.

"What do you mean exactly?"  
"If I stopped the killing and smuggling and used our resources for the good. For example, to find missing people or to catch criminals."  
"So your own little Navy."  
She had never seen it that way before, but he was right. She would build her own little Navy, as she had always imagined the actual Navy to be. Taichi sighed.

"You would definitely not make yourself friends with changing the structure, but as far as our people are concerned... some would adjust, some would go and some would probably try to start their own business."  
"And you? What would you do?", she asked quietly.  
He took her hand and looked at her seriously again.  
"I may not always agree with you, but I will respect and accept every decision you make. You are my sister, I love you and I will always be by your side."  
With tears in her eyes, she threw herself on him and hugged him.  
"So you decided to marry Zoro?", he asked and she could almost hear his grin.  
Tashigi didn't answer. Maybe she had decided to, maybe not.


	4. Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick one today: Thanks to everyone who read this story so far, left a review, a like, a fave, a kudos. Just thank you!

**Chapter** **Four: Death**

"And what reason would Yosuke Kubaru have to poison you?", Tashigi asked looking at her notes.  
"I refused to sell him arms", Hiroki replied, "Tashigi, the wedding is next week and you still haven't been to the dressmaker to customize your dress."  
She didn't answer, was too absorbed in her notes.  
"Tashigi!", her father let out followed by a coughing fit.  
Then she finally raised her head and looked at him with concern.  
"I'll go to her tomorrow, I promise."

Tashigi had spent the last few nights sitting at the foot of her father's bed and questioning him about his suspects. Accordingly, she hadn't missed the fact that Hiroki Watanabe looked worse every day. His skin was gray now, he was losing weight quickly, but he was barely eating, he hadn't gotten out of bed in five days and every breath of his rattled.

They all knew it, but no one said it openly: Hiroki would probably not see his daughter's wedding.  
After that coughing fit he looked at her weakly.  
"Be so good and get me a glass of water", he said; it was little more than a whisper.

Tashigi got up, but while she was refilling the glass, her father started to cough again. Helplessly she came up to him again and waited with the glass in her hand for the coughing to pass. Suddenly her father's eyes widened, he leaned forward a little and began to vomit. Exactly on her feet, which only were in socks.

She had seen and experienced so many terrible things; but here and now it was the worst moment of her entire life. That, her father had just vomited, was neither stomach contents nor anything like that. It was pure blood and apparently Hiroki's body had decided to empty his complete blood volume on the floor.  
The metallic smell rose into Tashigi's nose as she stared wide-eyed at her father and the glass fell from her hand. Panic spread through her; her father suddenly stopped vomiting, breathed in again, and then fell back on the bed, staring at the ceiling with open, empty eyes.

"Father?", she said softly into the silence and came closer to him, not really realizing that she was walking through blood.  
He didn't respond, she wasn't even sure if he was still breathing.  
"Father?"  
She put a hand on his chest and felt no movement. He wasn't breathing.  
Tashigi's eyes watered.  
He was dead. Hiroki Watanabe was dead.  
At that moment, Tashigi collapsed. She screamed, sobbed, cried and begged, but her father never started breathing again.

* * *

It was absolutely nothing new to Zoro when he got lost, but that didn't mean that it didn't get on his nerves when that happened.  
He was walking through one of the innumerable corridors of this house. Why did Tashigi's family have to live in such a huge villa? He was already thinking about just hitting one of the walls to get ahead when he heard a scream.

Without thinking about it, Zoro dashed straight through the next door and there she was.  
Tashigi. His involuntary fiancée.  
He only needed a look to grasp the situation. The pool of blood in which she stood, her sobs, the lifeless body on the bed. The old man had died and not in a pleasant way.  
Usually Zoro didn't know what to do with crying people, but at that moment it seemed just right for him to hug her.

Tashigi cried out again as he pulled her to his chest by the wrist. For a few moments she struggled against him, but Zoro held her tightly against him and so it didn't take long for Tashigi to cling to him. She sobbed, cried, roared and Zoro gently rocked her back and forth.  
Through the now open door of the room, Tashigi's moans could be heard even better in the hallway and gradually more and more people poured into the room and discovered the scene.

Hinagiku passed out at the sight of her dead husband, while Taichi only grimly clenched his hands into fists.  
Akito's gaze lingered longer on Zoro and Tashigi than on the dead, Juan and Alejandra didn't even venture into the room after a brief look through the door, and the Straw Hat pirates quickly checked with Zoro whether everything was fine with him before they went back so as not to stand in anyone's way.

All of this happened while Zoro was still in place with Tashigi in his arms. Although she had fallen silent, tears were still running down her face. Nobody dared to speak to her directly, not even her own brother.  
It felt like hours until Hiroki Watanabe's body was taken out of the room and a few maids started taking care of the blood.  
Zoro looked at the woman in his arms and realized that she must have fallen asleep from the exhaustion. Without further ado, he picked her up and brought her out of this terrible room.

* * *

When Tashigi opened her eyes she had no idea where she was. All she knew was that her father had died a terrible death. New tears made their way into her eyes, but Tashigi blinked them away, there was time for that later, first she had to find out where she was.

It was pitch dark and she was definitely on a bed, but her head wasn't on a pillow. And it wasn't her bed either, the mattress was too hard for that, and whatever her head was on was moving up and down. Confused she raised her head and tried to see in the dark what she had been lying on, blinking a few times but could not see anything.  
A sigh escaped her and suddenly that something she had been lying on moved and only a few seconds later the light flared up and Tashigi closed her eyes blinded.

"You are awake", she heard an overly familiar voice say and she froze.  
"Roronoa?", she snapped while widening her eyes and jumping up from the bed, only then she noticed that she was barefoot. Had he taken off her socks?  
"Who else?", answered the green-haired man, looking at her.

A shiver ran down Tashigi's back when she remembered that Roronoa had been the first to arrive after her father's cruel death. He had pressed her tightly against him and she had howled at his chest; apparently she had fallen asleep at some point and he had taken her to his room. Where she had slept in the same bed with him, her head on his chest. She felt her face flush and she didn't dare look at the man.

"How are you?", he asked gently.  
So gently that Tashigi looked up to make sure that Roronoa Zoro was really talking to her. She had never seen the look in his eye before. Was that worry? Was he worried about her? Now she was completely confused.

"Depending on the circumstances", she then replied to his question, "I'll go now. There is surely a lot to do… " She hurried to the door, but before she left the room she turned again.  
Zoro was sitting on his bed, still looking at her with that look. And then she acted on impulse.  
Tashigi walked briskly back to the bed, leaned forward and gently kissed the puzzled Zoro on the forehead.  
"Thank you", she said softly and then she left the room.

* * *

Hiroki Watanabe had determined in his last will that he had to be buried at the latest two days after his death. He had also determined that after him his firstborn daughter should take over the management of his business. If she was not married at the time of his death, Hinagiku Watanabe initially took the lead.

And so it happened that Tashigi stood only two days after the most traumatic experience of her life in the private cemetery of her family and watched her father's coffin being lowered into the grave. The funeral was a cliché. Almost every inhabitant of the island and every employee who had learned of Hiroki's death and was able to accomplish it had come to his funeral.  
So now there were around a thousand people dressed darkly in the pouring rain in front of the grave and listening to the praises of the speaker. Her father had never had anything to do with religion, so her mother decided against a priest.

As expected from her, Tashigi was in the front row with her mother and Taichi. Unlike Hinagiku, Tashigi didn't shed tears, she was still grieving for her father, but most of her grief had turned to rage. Rage at those who had done this to her father. She couldn't wait to get out of the wet clothes and start her investigation.  
A light squeeze of her hand made her take a look over her shoulder. Zoro stood behind her, holding her hand tightly in his, since the funeral had began.

He had hardly left her side since Hiroki's death, followed her like a shadow. At first Tashigi found this extremely strange, but then she realized that Zoro was worried about her and now she found the fact really sweet. She turned her attention completely back to the speaker.  
"And so we say goodbye to the great man who Hiroki Watanabe was."

Zoro had been listening to all some kind of talk in the past forty-eight hours. For example, how proud his parents were about him or all of the jokes from his friends.  
He always stayed close to Tashigi and held her hand, so what? It seemed to be good for her, to help her and that was what mattered to Zoro. He couldn't say what moved him to all of this, but he just felt more comfortable being around Tashigi and he didn't need to know more at first.

Zoro listened to the speech only halfheartedly, as he was more of an moral support for Tashigi than to pay homage to the dead man, but when the crowd began to slowly dissolve, he realized that they could finally dry up.  
Without letting go of Tashigi, he half-turned to find a quick and easy way to the house. Zoro didn't hear it because of the rain pounding on the gorund, but felt that something was flying toward the back of Tashigi's head at a frantic pace.

Without thinking about it, he threw himself on her and tackled her to the ground, only milliseconds later the bullet destined for Tashigi struck the set up image of the deceased.  
Even as she looked at the picture in shock, Zoro was already standing again; with his swords drawn, he looked around to find out who had dared to fire a shot at his fiancée.

He was far from being the only one who had drawn his weapons. After all, there were more than a few assassins among the mourners and they didn't seem to take it well when trying to murder the dead boss's daughter. While Zoro was still scanning the area with his gaze, Taichi was already dividing his people into search groups, before he started looking for the shooter, he gave him a meaningful look.  
Zoro understood immediately: of course he would make sure that Tashigi and her mother came home safely.

* * *

"We searched the entire island, but couldn't find anything suspicious", said Taichi.  
"No clues? No traces? Not even the gun?", Hinagiku asked.  
"No, only the fired bullet and that is standard ammunition. Both with us and with the Navy, for example."  
"I don't want to imagine what could have happened if the bullet had find it's target."  
"Yes, if it weren't for Zoro...", said Taichi, looking at Tashigi, who had been listening to the conversation in silence.

Hours had passed since the attack on her life and now she was sitting on an armchair in her room after a long, hot shower, with the rest of her family.  
Taichi had just returned from searching for clues. Her mother hadn't left her side since the shot, neither had Zoro. He only left after Taichi had returned and assured him that Tashigi was safe with him.

The swordsman had saved her life. Again. If he hadn't, she would surely be dead now and that shook her. It was nowhere near the first time that an attempt had been made to kill her, but this usually happened in an open fight and not from an ambush. And the expression in Zoro's eye never left her.  
Anger. Pure anger that they had tried to take her life and she didn't quite understand why he felt that way. But something had changed between them in the past few days, but she couldn't say exactly what that meant.

"What would anyone had achieved for killing Tashigi?", asked her mother.  
Tashigi sighed and answered with a counter question:  
"What would someone had achieved for killing Father and me?"  
They both looked at her for a moment.  
"After father's death, it's up to you to run the family business. If you die before you are married, however, the family is without a leader and a fight for the leadership would begin", Taichi concluded.  
"But that's not entirely true", her mother interjected, "I'm still running the business and if Tashigi dies without leaving a husband or heir, you'd still be there."

"Reasons, but no obstacles. Father and I were the top priority goals, especially with the upcoming wedding. If someone really wanted to take over our business, they would have eliminated both of you too."  
Taichi looked at her with wide eyes and she knew that he had understood.  
"Are you saying that father was murdered?", he asked.  
"No! Your father was sick", Hinagiku let out.  
"He was poisoned, Mother. We thought someone took revenge on him, but apparently we were wrong and it is about something completely different." Her mother looked at her in shock.

"Why didn't he tell us?"  
Tashigi's eyes went to her brother.  
"He thought you two weren't objective enough to find out who was behind it."  
"What? But you are?"  
"Yes."  
"That's not true at all! I could have looked at it completely objectively. I was trained for such situations!", he started, but was slowed down by his mother.  
"Taichi! This is not a competition for your father's affection! If I have learned one thing in this marriage, it is that your father always had his reasons and if he decided to only trust Tashigi, we will accept it!"  
Hinagiku looked at him intently until he lowered his eyes, then she looked at Tashigi.

"Who poisoned my husband?"  
"I don't know. He had made a list of suspects. I was just going through it with him when he died..."  
It was absolutely quiet in her room for several minutes, then Tashigi got up and went to her door.  
"Where do you want to go?", asked both her brother and mother at the same time.  
"I need to talk to someone", she replied as she opened the door. Almost immediately, Taichi was by her side.  
"After what happened today you won't go alone anywhere for now."  
She absolutely appreciated his commitment and concern, but still...

"Tai", she said softly, "I love you and I appreciate that very much, but I'm just going to go down this hall and I have to do this alone."  
Her brother looked at her and sighed, then pulled her into a tight hug.  
"We will find the responsible person or persons who have done this to our family", he said quietly.  
"We will", she assured him, and she was certain that none of them would have a quiet minute until then.

A short time later, Tashigi stood at the door of a certain swordsman and knocked. She needed his help and hoped he was in a patronizing mood; however, when Zoro opened the door, she was left breathless.

* * *

Zoro was, of course, aware of why Tashigi was staring at him with her mouth wide open; he had just got out of the shower when she knocked and that was why he just had quickly put on pants. He also knew that he wasn't necessarily a crush, but his toned upper body had still impressed everyone.

"Come on in", he said, unable to suppress a grin.  
Tashigi said nothing, just went straight past him, sat in the first chair she saw, and then tried to look everywhere except at him. Zoro laughed softly, it was refreshing how embarrassing she was about this situation. It didn't bother him that she saw him that way, he enjoyed the sight of her legs too, which were only in shorts; if less obvious.

"So", he started, but was immediately interrupted by her.  
"Well, Taichi could not find any evidence of the assassin, but will continue to search. He also said that some of our men have agreed to serve as bodyguards for me until the matter is resolved."  
"Good", he replied.  
Zoro himself could not always be around and protect her, even if it were the most comfortable for him, but he had learned that the boys here were well trained and therefore competent. And their protection was still better than none.

"I wanted to thank you again", Tashigi continued, "I would probably not be sitting here without your quick reaction."  
Zoro didn't want to think about that, it had probably been pure luck that he had turned around at that moment and felt the bullet coming.

If it hadn't been like that she would be dead now... no longer with him... he could never have seen her again... never could have held her hand again... Zoro shook his head to free himself from these thoughts.  
Everything had gone well, he had reacted in good time and Tashigi was in good spirits before him and he would do everything in his power to keep it that way.  
His eyes fixed on his guest again and he just shrugged.

"Not worth mentioning", he said.  
Just because he was beginning to understand what she meant to him didn't mean that he wanted to let her know about it. Tashigi looked at him silently for a few moments, then took a deep breath and said:  
"I want to ask you a favor."  
Zoro raised his eyebrows. How much of her pride would she have had to swallow to speak those words?  
"And what kind of favor?"

She sighed, got up, and started pacing up and down his room.  
"Someone wants to take over my family business. Someone poisoned my father, someone tried to kill me and I take things like that personally. I will find them and hold them accountable, I will not let anyone harm my family. But I can only do that on one condition. I have to officially take over the management of the family business, this is the only way I can get the resources I need to find the one who did this to my family, but for that..."  
She fell silent and looked at him meaningfully.  
"You and I have to get married for that."

"I know it's a lot to ask, you shouldn't take a marriage lightly... and you don't have to stay with me afterwards. After the wedding you can set sail again and pursue your own goals. Nobody would say anything."  
Zoro looked at her.  
"And then you're the boss of smugglers and assassins."  
Tashigi stopped and replied:  
"At first, yes. But I plan to reorganize the areas of responsibility. I want to do good and help people."  
He smiled. He had expected nothing else.  
"All right", he said.  
"What?", she said, seemingly surprised.  
"I'll do you a favor and marry you."


	5. Understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing much to say today. Just thank you for reading <3

**Chapter Five: Understanding**

"I wish your father could be here today. You look gorgeous," her mother said with tears in her eyes.  
Tashigi looked at her through the mirror, smiling, trying not to show her doubts. Today was her wedding day.  
A day she had never thought of until a few weeks ago; and yet she was here.

The long hair curled and open, the veil reached up to her waist. The make-up decent and natural and the dress... The dress was a dream even in Tashigi's eyes. A ball gown with a heart-shaped neckline, without straps and a one-meter long train; lace or other decorations had been dispensed. As a colorful accent, a silk ribbon matched to the groom's hair color was tied around Tashigi's waist and the bride found this idea perfect.  
  


It was still hard for her to believe that Roronoa Zoro had really agreed to marry her. She did not expect him to get out at the last moment, he was a man who kept his word, but she wondered why he had agreed.  
Was it really because he liked her? As Juan said. And even if it was true, it didn't mean that he had to marry her. For example, she liked Smoker, but would never want to marry her old boss.

So what did the pirate get out of this marriage? And why didn't she have any problems marrying him now? Even if it was just a fake marriage. Zoro had always fascinated her; even when she hadn't understood him at all. In the past, however, she had found out and learned more about him and now she understood him and the motivation behind his dream so much better.

And when she thought back to the last few days... What he had done for her and how he had dealt with her made her heart melt. Had she actually fallen in love with him?  
Tashigi knew how foolish that would be, but what could you do about your feelings?  
Whatever reason Zoro had, him falling in love with her was unlikely.

"Wow... Sissy. You look stunning," her brother's voice pulled her out of her brooding.  
"Do you really think so?" She asked, stroking nonexistent folds from the skirt of her dress. Taichi stepped closer to her and took her hands.  
"I am completely serious. Zoro won't know what will happen to him when he sees you. Speaking of him, he is waiting for you at the altar and seems to be quite nervous."  
A nervous Zoro was something Tashigi could hardly imagine, but before she could voice her doubts, her mother approached her.

"Then we shouldn't keep him waiting any longer. Are you ready, my darling?"  
Tashigi nodded. She was as ready as she could be. Her mother put the veil over her face and hugged her once again, then handed her over to Taichi and set off to take her place among the other guests.

Taichi gave her the bridal bouquet with a smile and then offered her his arm. He would walk her the altar and hand her over to Zoro, instead of her father. The wedding took place in her parents' house; the reception hall had been prepared for the ceremony and the celebration would take place in the garden. Tashigi knew that her father had compulsory attendance for each of his employees, so there would be an incredible large number of eyes on her, and that made her almost more nervous than the wedding itself.

"And you are absolutely sure?" Taichi asked as they stopped in front of the closed doors of the hall. She smiled at him under her veil and nodded.  
"Absolutely."  
At that moment the wedding march began to play and the double doors of the hall opened.  
"Then let's go," whispered her brother and started walking. Tashigi looked up and the first thing she saw was Roronoa Zoro, who stared at her with his mouth open.

* * *

Tashigi had always been pretty in Zoro's eyes, even if it had taken him a long time to admit it. But today... today she looked stunning and he couldn't help but stare at her with his mouth open. He was probably making a fool of himself right now, but he didn't care.

That beautiful woman who was coming up to him would be his wife in a few minutes. She would be with him for the rest of his life. How did he got so lucky?  
He suddenly felt completely underdressed in her presence in his black suit, white shirt and tie in the color of his hair.

Taichi stopped with her next to him, lifted her veil and put her hand in Zoros, then he took a seat next to Hinagiku. Tashigi smiled at him and Zoro hadn't expected her to look so happy.  
"Hey," she said softly.  
"Hey," he replied, completely blanking out how the Priest started the ceremony.

Zoro couldn't take his eye off her. God, how much he loved her. He didn't know when or how it happened, but sometime between all the quarrels and fights, the spark flew. He knew that the chances that she would feel the same about him were slim, but he would not give up hope. After all, she was here today and smiled at him like never before.

After her father died, she could have married anyone else on the island to take over the management of the family business, and yet she chose him. That had to mean something, didn't it? At least she couldn't completely care less about him and one day he would tell her what she meant to him.  
"Tashigi will you take thee, Zoro, to be your wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?"

Zoro blinked a few times when he heard these words, he had been lost in his thoughts for longer than he thought.  
Tashigi was still smiling at him, then put the simple silver ring on his finger. Without taking her eyes off him, she replied:  
"Yes I do."

A never-before-felt warm feeling spread in Zoro and he couldn't hide the one-meter grin on his face.  
"Zoro will you take thee, Tashigi, to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?"

Zoro took the ring out of his pocket and while he put the ring on Tashigi's finger and answered, he looked her in the eyes all the time. He wanted her to understand how serious he was.  
"Yes I do."  
He couldn't put into words what he felt when Tashigi's smile seemed even happier.  
"Forasmuch as bride and groom have consented together in holy matrimony, and have pledged their love and loyalty to each other, and have declared the same by the joining and the giving of rings, by the power vested in me, and as witnessed by friends and family, I now pronounce you husband and wife."  
The applause exploded all over the hall and occasionally cheers were heard, but Tashigi and Zoro only had eyes for one another.  
"Zoro, you may now kiss the bride."

* * *

Tashigi blinked. Kiss?  
She had completely forgotten this part of a wedding. She looked a little uncertain now, but Zoro still smiled as blissfully as ever. He gently took her face in his hands and approached her. She couldn't take her eyes off his lips. Would he really kiss her?

Her question was answered just a breath later when Zoro's slightly chapped lips were on hers. Instinctively, she closed her eyes and cocked her head to one side.  
When she felt Zoro's tongue running over her lower lip, a soft moan escaped, which opened her mouth and a second later she had Zoro's tongue in her mouth.

Tashigi wished that this moment would never pass, that she could feel his lips and hands on her for the rest of her life. Zoro broke away from her much too early for her taste. He leaned his forehead against hers and looked at her so intently that Tashigi got goose bumps all over.  
"You belong to me now," he whispered. "For the rest of your life you are my wife."

Tears shot into her eyes; she just felt nothing but love for this young man and she couldn't believe that he really belonged to her now. She could only nod in confirmation when Zoro was kissing her again; followed by thunderous applause and loud cheers.

* * *

For the next few hours, Tashigi tried not to think too much about what was going on between Zoro and her. Except for a legally valid marriage, which they actually only had held so she was able to be the head of the family business. But all the kisses, looks, and touches that they shared after the ceremony had to mean something, didn't they?  
However, she had decided not to ponder too much today, but simply to enjoy this wonderful time. The time would certainly come when she had to deal with it, but it was not today.

The celebration was a complete success; people drank, ate, danced and laughed. Absolutely everyone seemed to be having fun and Tashigi had long stopped counting the number of times Alejandra had hugged her happily until Juan, also overjoyed, came and pulled his wife onto the dance floor.

Sighing blissfully, Tashgi put her head on Zoro's shoulder and watched the goings-on of her guests. Her husband gave her a kiss on the forehead and put an arm around her waist before he continued to argue jokingly with Sanji.  
Could this evening get any better?

* * *

A few hours later, Tashigi came out of the evening's biggest challenge at least for her, the toilet, when she ran into her childhood friend.  
"Akito," she said in surprise as she braced herself against his chest. Alcohol and high heels just weren't compatible.  
"Tashigi," he replied, straightening her by her shoulders, then not taking his hands away.  
"You look kind of grim. Don't you like the celebration?" she asked.  
"Yes, yes. It is good."

"But?" Tashigi asked to know. She knew that something was wrong with him, something was bothering him. Since the death of her father, he had also withdrawn from her and no longer spoke to her. He looked at her seriously now.  
"I never would have thought that you would really pull through with the wedding and look so happy at the same time."

This statement put a damper on her happiness, as Akito suddenly reminded her of all their conversations about how much she detested her father's idea. And now she stood happily in front of him in her wedding dress and was even grateful to her father for his plan.  
"I have my reasons, Akito. And Zoro... he's not a bad guy, he's never been. I just always refused to accept this. My father had acted in my best interest, it could have hit me much worse," she said quietly.

Akito didn't take his serious blue eyes from her for a second, she wasn't even sure if he blinked at all. For a brief moment she considered inaugurating him; what had happened to her father and that was why she asked Zoro for this favor. But Zoro and her family had to swear to not tell anyone else about the poisoning of Hiroki.

Since they still had no trace, Tashigi didn't want to initiate too many people yet. She trusted Akito, but after learning that he liked to eliminate people for whom there was no assignment, she had become more careful.  
"You could have had someone so much better," Akito replied, squeezing her shoulders.

But she didn't want anyone better, there was no one better than Zoro. He was the one she wanted; it had only taken a very long time to understand and then to accept it.  
And suddenly she thought she understood why Akito was so grim. The answer was in his eyes, his grip on her shoulders, and the fact that he had offered to be her husband. Akito liked her... more than an old friend.

She knew she was staring at him with her mouth open, but she couldn't help herself. Should she address it? Maybe she was wrong too, she had never been good at interpreting romantic feelings properly.  
"Hey, there you are. I was already worried." She was saved by her husband's voice at that moment.

Zoro's eye darkened when he saw Akito's hands on her shoulders. Her old friend immediately took them away and a big step back. Zoro stepped next to her, put his arm around her and pressed an almost possessive kiss on her lips.  
"Everything okay?" he asked her quietly afterwards.  
"We were just talking, Boss," Akito was first to answer.  
Zoro glared at him and said:  
"Nobody asked you."

Tashigi felt the tension between the two increasing and therefore put a hand on Zoro's chest to calm him.  
"Everything is okay. We were just talking. Come on, let's go to back the party."  
She had to pull his arm three times before he looked away from Akito and started to move, but also on the way back to the garden Zoro glared at Akito over his shoulder.

* * *

"I just don't like the guy," Zoro justified after sitting back at their table.  
Tashigi sighed and looked at him meaningfully.  
"You didn't like me in the beginning either."  
"That is not true at all! You were just a little annoying."  
She had to laugh.  
"As if you weren't."  
Zoro looked at her amused for a while, then sighed.

"Seriously... I would be more comfortable if you stayed away from him. I just don't feel good about him."  
"I can't promise you, he works for us after all," she replied.  
But who knew how long Akito would stay with them once she announced her planned changes and thus began to implement them.  
"I spoke to Nami when you were gone... We'll set sail the day after tomorrow."

"Oh...," Tashigi only let out disappointed.  
"Yes... she says she will send you our location regularly and tell everyone we meet that I am now married to the late Hiroki Watanabe's daughter."  
"My brother told our men and women to spread the word that I am now married to Roronoa Zoro," Tashigi replied with a smile.  
Zoro squeezed her hand.  
"So, Wifey, let's enjoy our last evening together for now. Who knows when we'll see each other again?"  
These words made Tashigi's heart heavy, but she didn't show it and instead enjoyed her wedding party to the fullest.

* * *

"I didn't expect to see you in the exercise room today." Puzzled, Tashigi put down the barbell and looked at Akito.  
"Why not?" she asked.  
"Well, I heard the pirates are leaving tomorrow. I just expected you to spend the day in bed with your husband."

At those words, Tashigi felt herself blush and pictures of the previous night passed in front of her inner eye. It had been agreed that, to keep up appearances, she and Zoro would sleep in the same room, but not in the same bed.  
But as so often, things had turned out very differently than planned. She and Zoro had ended up in bed, in the same, naked. And they had done things... well, things a newlywed couple did on their wedding night.

Tashigi tried to blame that they were both quite drunk, but deep inside she knew that she would have slept with him soberly. When they woke up today, Zoro had tried to talk to her about it, but as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, she panicked and fled.

She knew she had to talk to him sooner or later, but she was afraid. Afraid of what Zoro would say to her. Maybe it meant nothing to him, maybe he just played his part and that pretty well...  
"Oh you know... he has to prepare his departure and I should slowly but surely deal with our order situation. Father no longer had the opportunity to work me in properly," she replied evasively.

Akito nodded and picked up one of the lighter dumbbells.  
"It's a shame what happened to Hiroki," he said. Tashigi only nodded, but did not take her eyes off the young man.  
"A slow and terrible death. I would not have expected this."  
With the dumbbell in hand, Akito went to the door of the exercise room, pulled it shut and locked it. When she heard the click of the lock, an icy cold shiver ran down her entire body. Akito turned back to her and looked at her with a murderous look.

Tashigi felt her heart beat faster, her breaths became shorter and shallower, cold sweat broke out.  
"I had been told the poison would work quickly. But your father was always a tough old dog. For weeks he dragged himself from one day to the next; even had time to bring you home and arrange your wedding. Even after I mixed him a second and higher dose with the food."

Tashigi looked at him with wide eyes, tears running down her face.  
"You...," she breathed. "You killed my father."  
Akito was standing in front of her now, grinning at her triumphantly.  
"Yes, Tash. I killed your father. The great Hiroki Watanabe, who everyone believed he was immortal. As it turned out, he wasn't."  
Anger spread in Tashigi.  
"And why?" she asked to know. "When your family needed help he was there for you. He gave you work and support!"  
"You want to know why I did it?" he asked quietly. But before she could reply, Akito slapped the barbell in her face.

She hit the ground hard and had no way to cushion her fall due to the force of the blow. Tashigi tasted blood and could feel it running down her chin warmly.  
Akito crouched over her body and stared at her.  
"I was always loyal and grateful to your father. He saved my family and me from poverty. And then every now and then I killed someone who wasn't on our list. So what? What the hell? It's not like someone would miss those bastards, but Hiroki wasn't thrilled; told me about a code of honor and that he first checks every goal before accepting an assignment. He told me that as his employee I had no right to decide who lived and who died; no matter how much they harassed me in my childhood. And then I decided to show him that I don't let myself dictate what I can and cannot do in my life."

Tashigi looked at him stunned. That wasn't the Akito she grew up with. This man was completely insane.  
"You killed him because he prohibited you from killing your personal bullies?" she said angrily; stinging pain covered her entire face. It was a miracle that he hadn't broken her jaw.

"I have done nothing but what your pretty family business is made of. How many people has your family killed over the years, huh?"  
She couldn't and didn't want to justify her family's actions, she didn't have to change the entire business for nothing. But Akito seemed to kill for sheer pleasure. And the way he looked at her right now he was on the verge of killing her too. Suddenly she realized and she looked at him even more stunned.  
"You shot at me!"

Akito's face grimaced with rage and he struck the barbell on the floor with all his strength, just millimeters from her head. Then he got up and turned his back on her.  
"I didn't really want to kill you, Tash," he began to tell and Tashigi saw her chance to escape. Slowly and quietly she started crawling towards the door.

"After poisoning your father and hearing that he had started planning your return and taking over the business, it occurred to me that you and I were the perfect team. I know your traditions, so I went to him and offered myself as your husband. And do you want to know what he did?"

Tashigi had crawled about half the way, but paused because she feared Akito would turn around.  
"What?" she asked after he made no move to continue.  
"He laughed at me and said that I am not worthy of you. I! Trained by himself should not be worthy of you! And then he marries you to a dirty pirate!"

With that, he hit the wall and didn't seem to care that his knuckles cracked. Tashigi realized that she had to get out of this room faster than she could crawl.

Why had she told her bodyguards that they could go to dinner already? Usually she wasn't someone to avoid a fight, but firstly she didn't have Shigure with her and secondly Akito was physically superior to her. She got up on her feet the moment he turned to her, but he didn't seem to notice her at all. He looked feverishly through her and continued:

"I had imagined it so beautifully. You and I, how we run the business together and eventually hand it over to our children, but your father refused to let me do it... so I had to wait for you to return and hope that you hadn't changed your mindset. And luckily you didn't… but then you also rejected my offer to marry and that's why you have to die!"

Akito's eyes became clearer and this time he hit her in the face with his fist. But this time Tashigi stayed on her feet and looked at him angrily.  
"You want to kill me because I didn't want to marry you? Because I hurt your pride? You were like a little brother to me once, Akito! And I was so glad to see you again after all this time. I thought you were my friend!"  
"I could have been so much more to you, but you ruined everything! You destroyed everything!"

"I didn't destroy anything at all, you did it all by yourself." Then she turned and sprinted, it wasn't far to the door, but she also had to unlock it.  
She had almost reached the it when Akito grabbed her by the foot and pulled. Her head crashed into the massive wooden door; pain exploded in her skull and she let out a loud cry of pain.  
Akito pressed a hand on her mouth from behind and hissed in her ear:

"You will not leave this room alive. And then I'll get your mother and Taichi. Last but not least, I slit your dirty husband's throat."  
Tashigi's head pounded like never before and she had to fight again and again not to lose consciousness, but still she fought against Akito's grip with all her might. She absolutely had to get away from him.

While he was still trying to calm her down, she started kicking the closed door. Someone just had to hear it! With all his strength, Akito suddenly threw her against the next wall and while pain shot through her entire body again and she hit the floor for the second time, the doorknob was hectically pressed down.  
"Tashigi?! Are you in there?!"  
Tashigi couldn't help but smile when she realized who was on the other side of the door.  
"Zoro!"


	6. Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to the last chapter of "Watanabe" Once again I want to thank each and everyone of you who read, liked, favorited and reviewed this fanfic of mine. It means the world to me. Thank you 💚
> 
> P.S.: Want to see Tashigi in her beautiful wedding dress? Go back to Chapter five and check out that awesome fanart matshukle made for me ;)

**Chapter Six: Future**

Zoro had left Tashigi alone all day long to let her ponder the events of the previous night. When she had left the shared room in a hurry this morning, he had realized that she had to deal with all of this first for herself.

He knew why he was doing the things he had done, but Tashigi was probably not so aware of it. Zoro didn't know much about emotions, but he knew Tashigi well enough to know that if she didn't feel a little bit of love for him, she would never return his tenderness. She was just not the type of person who slept with someone without feelings for him.

Even if he was generous to give her time, he was determined to discuss the topic with her before he left and since she had not shown up for dinner, as agreed, he had decided to look for her.

He's been on his way far too long even for his taste, but what should he do? His orientation was a pain in the ass. But at least he could have ruled out that she was in her room, because he had found that and she hadn't been there.

Zoro's next goal was the exercise room and he was absolutely sure that it had to be somewhere in this area. To speed up his search, Zoro simply opened every door he passed; however, he was about to give up and just wait for her in her room when he heard a loud bang two doors away, followed by a cry of pain.

Wasn't that Tashigi's voice? With a frown and quick steps, he went to the door, but before he reached it he heard something bumping against the door again and again. Slowly but surely, a certain unrest spread through him.

Suddenly there was a thud and again Tashigi screamed in pain. One last big step and Zoro had reached the door, he hurriedly pushed the handle down and was frustrated to find that it was locked.  
"Tashigi?! Are you in there?!"  
"Zoro!"  
A wave of relief came over him when he heard her voice, but there was something in her tone that he didn't like. She needed him and a locked door wouldn't stop him from getting to her.  
"Tashigi! Get away from the door, I'll kick it in!" he warned just in case.

Zoro took a step back, drew two of his swords, and then kicked the door. Even if his kicks were only half as strong as Sanji's, his strength was enough for this stupid door. Regardless of losses, he stormed into the room, then stopped, shaken.

This disgusting Akito dared to hold a knife to Tashigi's throat! And what else had he done to her? Her entire face was covered in blood, she had a cracked lip and a laceration on the forehead and apparently she seemed to have problems fixing him with her gaze, but there was a faint but relieved smile on her lips.

"Look who comes to visit us here."  
Zoro's grip on his swords tightened as he heard Akito's voice.  
"Let her go immediately!" he growled ominously. The other man laughed.  
"I hardly believe that you are in a position to make demands because I am the one with the hostage."

With these words he pressed Tashigi the knife more firmly against the throat and the first drops of blood ran down her neck. Hot anger flowed through Zoro, but he did warn himself to not lose control. If he acted rashly in this situation, he would endanger his wife's life.  
"I'm still your boss," he tried rationally, even if he didn't expect any success.  
"You? My boss? You only married Tashigi so that you could get her family's money!"  
"That is not true! I married her because she asked me to do it and because I love her."

Well, that wasn't exactly the perfect moment for this confession, but he was a bit in trouble here.  
"And you love her too, don't you?" he continued, trying to ignore Tashigi's battered face. "That's why you kept hanging around with her, didn't you? I'm sure you don't really want to hurt her at all. So why don't you put the knife away and we'll talk about this in peace and quiet?"

Akito took a step forward with Tashigi and replied:  
"How about you take off your swords, all of them! And then maybe we can talk."  
Zoro's eye went to Tashigi, who looked at him helplessly and imploringly. He was desperate and that was not a feeling he particularly liked. He just stood there indecisively for a few moments, then Akito took another step forward, only pushing Tashigi the knife even harder against her throat which led to more blood oozing out.  
At that moment, Zoro resigned; he hadn't grappled with his feelings for Tashigi forever just so that he could lose her again because of this madman. He saw the shock in her eyes as he threw his three swords on the floor, but ignored her.

"Wise decision, pirate. And now hands up and slowly back out of the room! We're going for a little walk."  
"What? Where to?" Akito took another step forward and pulled Tashigi with him.  
"I want to face Taichi and Hinagiku while I slit Tash's throat."

Zoro clenched his hands in anger, he had to find a way out, and that very quickly. For the time being, however, he complied with the madman's instructions, raised his hands, and began to carefully leave the room backwards. He avoided looking at Tashigi, couldn't bear the stunned expression on her face.  
"To the right, you idiot!"  
He corrected his way and watched how Akito pushed Tashigi to walk in front of him. They were already out of the exercise room when a sudden movement behind Akito helped Zoro with a plan.

* * *

Tashigi was absolutely stunned. Not just because of what Akito did, but also because of what Zoro did. Or rather what he didn't do. When he kicked the door in and rushed into the exercise room with swords drawn, she was sure that this nightmare would end.

Instead, Zoro obeyed her hostage-taker and walked ahead of them with his hands raised. She would never have expected Roronoa Zoro to behave this way, not after everything she had heard and seen from him.  
Was he holding back for her? Because he loved her and didn't want to risk anything? It had been a shock to hear that he loved her, and despite the current circumstances, she hoped that Zoro was serious about his words, not just saying that so Akito would release her.

"Is it because she chose me and not you?" Zoro asked at that moment and stopped.  
"Shut up and keep going," Akito replied.  
Tashigi felt the knife on her throat tremble.  
"That's the reason, isn't it? You are in love with her, probably since your childhood and she has never seen more than her little brother's best friend in you. Isn't it?"

With every word spoken by Zoros, Akito's hand trembled more. Tashigi looked at Zoro in panic, trying to make eye contact with him. What was that crazy idea to provoke the lunatic with the knife?  
"You have no idea at all!" roared Akito.  
"Then tell me," Zoro replied, not taking his eye off the young man.  
"I am perfect for Tashigi. Together we could have achieved great things."

Akito took a step forward and actually took the knife away from her throat, but only to point it at Zoro.  
"And then you came along, dirty pirate, and took her away from me! That's why she has to die, that's why you all have to…"  
There was a loud bang and Akito and Tashigi were thrown forward. While Tashigi was caught by Zoro, Akito hit the floor with a thud.

Tashigi looked over her shoulder and saw her brother, who was still standing at the end of the hall with his gun raised and staring grimly at his childhood friend lying on the floor. Her eyes went to Akito, his blue eyes were wide in surprise, the knife was still in his hand, and blood oozed from the gash on his forehead.  
He was dead.

* * *

"The doctor said you should lie down."  
Tashigi looked from the fire burning in the fireplace to the people who just entered her room. Her mother, her brother, her husband.  
"I don't want to lie down," she replied to her mother.  
"Darling, you have a violent concussion and multiple lacerations. You need rest."

"She can also rest while sitting," answered Zoro as he sat on the side of her armchair. His swords were by his side again.  
Hinagiku sighed and then also sat in one of the armchairs, Taichi stood by her side. For a long time, none of them said anything. Tashigi could well imagine how shocked her mother and brother were at Akito's act today.  
"Did he poison your father?" asked her mother.  
Tashigi nodded.

"Why?"  
"Father has forbidden him to kill people at his own discretion."  
"Oh...," was probably the only thing that came to her mother's mind. "He had always been such a cute boy."  
"It was he who shot at you, right?" Taichi noted.  
Again, Tashigi just nodded.  
"What was he all about?"

She suppressed a sigh; she could understand all too well that her family wanted answers, but her head was still pounding and she really wanted nothing but sleeping, but could not. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Akito lying dead in front of her.

"I don't know...," she replied. "He poisoned father to prove that he can't be said. He wanted to kill me because I didn't want to marry him. He wanted to kill Zoro because he took me away from him. I don't know what his reasons were for you. Maybe he wanted to take over the family business, maybe... "  
"Don't worry too much about it. The guy was completely insane," Zoro interrupted.

Tashigi looked at him. In the end, he was probably right, and something had been wrong with Akito; but that didn't make it much easier to accept. She and Taichi had spent their entire childhood with him, and she hadn't even had the impression that Akito could have fun killing. She sighed deeply and leaned her head against Zoro.

But they were still children and who paid attention to something like that as a child? In addition, people changed. Maybe Akito had only discovered his desire to kill after he started working for her father. Perhaps none of this would have happened if Akito, like her, had left the island.

"We'll leave you alone then. Let me know if you need anything," said her mother and Tashigi opened her eyes. At the same time, she hadn't been aware that she had closed them. Tired she watched her mother and Taichi leave the room, then felt Zoro gently push her away and sit himself on the armchair. Sitting half on the armchair and half on Zoro's lap, she closed her eyes again and enjoyed Zoro's closeness.

* * *

Zoro spent the next hour holding Tashigi in his arms and listening to her even breaths. He had never been someone who believed in a god or anything like that, but at this hour he thanked him that Tashigi had escaped this hostage-taking alive.

It would be impossible to imagine what would have happened if Taichi had not come around the corner at just the right moment. And luckily, Taichi had been trained in extreme situations since childhood and had reacted just right.  
He could have lost her forever and he had already noticed at the funeral that he didn't like this idea.  
"When?" came Tashigi's low voice suddenly. He had been sure that she was asleep.  
"When what?" he asked.  
"When did you fall in love with me?"  
Zoro startled. Yeah, when?

"I have no Idea. Maybe when you passed out on Punk Hazard before my eyes, maybe even earlier. But I understood it when you were shot at the funeral."  
His wife only grunted and snuggled closer to him. Smiling, he tightened his grip on her and rested his chin on her head.  
"Alabasta."

"Huh?" asked Zoro, trying to look at her, but she had pressed so hard against him that it was impossible at this angle.  
"For me it was in Alabasta. After you stopped Crocodile and saved the city, I found you sleeping on the street with my men. It was the first time that I saw that none of you is anywhere near like all the other pirates and that's where it happened."

"What happened there?"  
He had a rough idea what she was going to tell him now, but he had to hear it. She had to say it!  
Tashigi raised her head and looked at him seriously.  
"I love you."  
Carefully, not wanting to cause her even more pain unnecessarily, Zoro put his hands on her face and pulled her closer. He began to kiss her gently. He didn't need to know more.

* * *

Farewells had always been hard for Tashigi. She never knew exactly how to behave and it was especially bad today.  
Since there was no longer any danger for Tashigi and the Straw Hats had already lost quite some time, Nami had decided not to change anything about the departure plans. Even when Zoro allegedly begged her on his knees, Nami had been stolid.

While Tashigi watched the pirates loading the ship, she had to smile a little. When she found out that the pirates were here, Tashigi could hardly wait for them to leave and now she wished they didn't have to. But it would be selfish to expect that each one of them would give up their dream or that they would set sail without Zoro so that Tashigi could keep him to himself.

There would come a time when Tashigi and Zoro could live together, but until then they both had a long way to go. None of them knew exactly when they would see each other again, but Nami had promised to send her their route regularly and everyone from Tashigi's staff knew that the Straw Hat pirates were now part of the family, so one could somehow stay in touch.

At that moment Zoro came up to her with a grim expression on his face and stopped in front of her.  
"I don't really want to go," he said softly.  
"Does that mean you stay?" she asked with a sad smile and knew better. He looked at her in agony.  
"Tash... I...," he started, but she cut him off.

"Hey. I know you would never let your Crew down, and I would never ask you to. And I also know that you still have an open account with Hawk Eyes. Cast off, don't worry. I'm safe here now."  
She saw love in his eye as he put his hands on her battered face. It still hurt, but she just loved it too much to ask him not to do it.  
"I love you," he whispered after loosening the kiss.  
"I love you too."

One last kiss, one last look and then the Sunny took off. Tashigi stood with heavy heart at the port and stayed there until she could no longer see the ship. But she wasn't alone. Both Taichi, her mother and Zoro's parents kept her quiet company.

* * *

"Come on, Tai. We're going to missing it!"  
"I can't help that we're late! I was ready in time!"  
Tashigi ignored her brother's snappy reply and pushed further through the crowd. Today, of all times, she was late! Usually she was the one who was always too early, but today somehow nothing had worked out as she had planned.  
"Tash! Hand over, then you can run ahead. It's not that bad if I miss it. But if you miss it, you will have to listen to it forever."

A minute later she pushed her way a little more energetically through the people, but the closer she got to the market place, the more difficult it became. Why the hell did he have to announce the fight? It didn't even help that she was Tashigi Watanabe. The people were too focused on the spectacle to pay attention to who was trying to push forward.  
The reactions of the people she saw didn't help her judge who had the upper hand in this fight. Why did she have to be so damn small? Suddenly the people around her began to applaud and cheer, then started calling the same name over and over again. And Tashigi realized that she had missed it.

Tears shot into her eyes. She couldn't believe that she hadn't made it in time! Now even more motivated, she started boxing herself through the people and after an eternity she finally reached the market place and there he sat... surrounded by well-wishers, blood-soaked, the clothes torn, but the ever present grin on his lips and a jug of sake in hand. Her husband.  
As if he had sensed her arrival, he turned his gaze to her, and his grin widened even more. He put the jug down, shook off the hands of the well-wishers and came up to her. They met halfway.

"I missed it, didn't I?" she asked quietly.  
"You did," he replied.  
"Do I always have to call you the best swordsman in the world now or is Zoro still sufficient?"  
"Because it's you I don't want to be like that. Zoro is enough."

She couldn't give him an answer because he had already pressed her to him and kissed her stormily. She closed her eyes with pleasure. For six long years they had only seen each other sporadically… Which hadn't made it easy to be married, but they had always found a way to master their problems and now… now he had successfully settled his bill with Hawk Eyes and Zoro had promised her four years ago that he would then finally stay with her. Forever!

"FATHER!"  
They broke apart and both looked to the edge of the marketplace. There Taichi was just pushing through the last foothills of the crowd, but two small children were running in front of him, who didn't care that their uncle ordered them to wait for him. Zoro crouched and caught the two, then hugged them tightly.  
"Hey, you two! Have you already grown again? Hadn't I forbidden you that?"

Tashigi almost expected her heart to burst with love. Seeing her husband with their twins was a sight she would never be fed up with. She remembered the expression on Zoro's face when she told him three years ago that she was pregnant. It hadn't been easy, most of the pregnancy Zoro had been at sea and since she was expecting twins, she hadn't had a chance to meet him on an island every few months. But Zoro had put all the levers in motion and had actually made it in time for the birth of the children.

Kuina was five minutes older than her brother Hiroki and would take over the family business after Tashigi, but Tashigi was pretty sure that she would later share this task with her brother. The two were inseparable and she didn't see why that would change in the next few years.

The restructuring of the family business was also not an easy undertaking, and at the beginning she hadn't made many friends with her changes. About a third of the employees had left after announcing that they would no longer kill anyone and that they would no longer smuggle weapons. Many of them had started their own business and Tashigi knew that two of them were very successful with it. After all, they had been able to take on almost all of the Watanabe family's customers.

But she had also received a lot of approval and more than a few of her former Navy colleagues had started to work for her because they themselves were no longer satisfied with the work of the Navy. And together they did not tire of sabotaging the newly built companies of her former employees, in a completely legal way, of course. They had also been able to do so many other good things. Had reunited families and solved crimes.

Always by her side are her brother and mother and her in-laws. None of them had refused to spend the night with Tashigi to find missing people or to develop new strategies to underpin the new companies.

In just a few years, Tashigi had actually managed to build her own small and very successful Navy. A Navy as she had always imagined.  
Zoro's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.  
"Tash, now that I'm staying home... how about we produce two more of these rascals?"  
Tashigi looked at him skeptically.  
"You want more children?" she asked.

"Sure, why not?" he replied as the twins started pulling his hair.  
Why not? After all, he hadn't been the one who'd hardly slept at night because one of the two was always awake. He hadn't changed thousands of diapers either... A grin spread across Tashigi's face.  
Yes, why not? Because this time he would be with her!


End file.
